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Libraries,  Storrs 


GAYLORD  RG 


FOE  NAME  AND  FAME 

OR, 

THEOUGH   AFGHAN   PASSES. 

BY 

G.   A.   HENTY, 

Author  of  "  True  to  the  Old  Flag,"  "  St.  George  for  England,"  "  In  Freedom's  Cause," 
•■'  With  Olive  in  India,"  "By  Sheer  Pluck,"  " Facing  Death."  &c.  &c. 


WITH  EIGHT  FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS 
BY  GORDON  BROWNE. 


^Lufcm  IiibniJ- 


^.- crw 


NEW   YORK 

SCRIBNER    AND    WELFOED 

743  &  745  BROADWAY. 


PZ 

7 

fry) 


to 


o  PREFACE. 


My  dear  Lads, 

In  following  the  hero  of  this  story  with  the 
British  army  during  the  last  war  in  Afghanistan,  you 
will  be  improving  your  acquaintance  with  a  countr}^ 
which  is  at  present,  and  is  likely  to  be  so  for  a  long- 
time, of  supreme  interest  to  Englishmen.  Afghan- 
istan stands  as  a  dividing  line  between  the  two  great 
empires  of  England  and  Russia,  and  is  certain,  sooner 
or  later,  to  become  the  scene  of  a  tremendous  struo-o-le 
between  these  nations;  possibly  the  struggle  may 
have  begun  before  these  pages  are  read  by  you.  Hap- 
pily, at  the  present  time  the  Afghans  are  on  our  side. 
It  is  true  that  we  have  lately  warred  with  and 
beaten  them,  but  our  retirement  after  victory  has  at 
least  shown  them  that  we  have  no  desire  to  take  their 
country;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  they  know  that 
for  those  upon  whom  Russia  has  once  laid  her  hand 
there  is  no  escape.  In  these  pages  you  will  see  the 
strength  and  the  weakness  of  these  wild  people  of  the 
mountains;  their  strength  lying  in  their  personal 
bravery,  their  determination  to  preserve  their  freedom 
at  all  costs,  and  the  nature  of  their  country.     Their 


IV  PREFACE. 

weakness  consists  in  their  want  of  organization,  their 
tribal  jealousies,  and  their  impatience  of  regular  habits, 
and  of  the  restraint  necessary  to  render  them  good  sol- 
diers. But  when  led  and  organized  by  English  officers 
there  are  no  better  soldiers  in  the  world,  as  is  proved 
by  the  splendid  services  which  have  been  rendered  by 
the  frontier  force,  which  is  composed  almost  entirely 
of  Afghan  tribesmen.  Their  history  shows  that  defeat 
has  little  moral  effect  upon  them.  Crushed  one  day, 
they  will  rise  again  the  next;  scattered,  it  would  seem 
hopelessly,  they  are  ready  to  reassemble  and  renew 
the  conflict  at  the  first  summons  of  their  chiefs. 
Guided  by  British  advice,  led  by  British  officers,  and, 
it  may  be,  paid  by  British  gold,  Afghanistan  is  likely 
to  prove  an  invaluable  ally  to  us  when  the  day  comes 
that  Russia  believes  herself  stronof  enous^h  to  move 
forward  towards  the  goal  of  all  her  hopes  and  efforts 
for  the  last  fifty  years,  the  conquest  of  India. 

Yours  sincerely, 

G.   A.   HENTY. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP.  Page 

I.  The  Lost  Child, 9 

II.  The  Foundling, 26 

III.  Life  on  a  Smack, 43 

IV.  Pa-N  Down, 60 

V.  The  Castaways, 76 

VI.  The  Attack  on  the  Village, 92 

VII.  The  Fight  with  the  Pkahus, 103 

VIIL  The  Torpedo, 119 

IX.  The  Advance  into  Afghanistan, 136 

X.  The  Peiwar-Khotal, 152 

XL  A  Prisoner, 168 

XII.  The  Advance  up  the  Khyber, 183 

XIII.  The  Massacre  at  Cabul, 196 

XIV.  The  Advance  upon  Cabul, 213 

XV.  The  Fighting  round  Cabul, 230 

XVI.  The  Fight  in  the  Pass, 248 

XVII.  At  Candahar, 265 

XVIIL  On  the  Helmund 282 

XIX.  The  Battle  of  Maiwand, 294 

XX.  Candahar, 314 

XXI.  The  Battle  of  Candahar, 330 

XXII.  At  Home  at  Last, 348 


ILLUSTEATIONS. 


Page 
Sam  Dickson  finds  little  Willie  Gale,      .     Frontispiece.     27 

Will  and  Hans  in  Search  of  a  Shelter, 85 

Captain  Herbert  saved, 159 

William  Gale  in  the  Hands  of  the  Afghans,   ....  196 

"One  of  the  Gunpowder  ^Magazines  had  exploded,"      .  237 

Letters  from  the  General, 270 

Will  saves  Colonel  Ripon, 284 

Gundi  carried  by  the  Bayonet, 330 


FOE  NAME  AND  FAME: 


A    TALE    OF     THE    AFGHAN    WAE. 


CHAPTER   I. 


THE   LOST    CHILD. 


« 


Y  poor  pets!"  a  lady  exclaimed  sorrowfully; 
"  it  is  too  bad.  They  all  knew  me  so  well, 
and  ran  to  meet  me  w^hen  they  saw  me 
coming,  and  seemed  really  pleased  to  see  me  even  when 
I  had  no  food  to  give  them." 

"  Which  was  not  often,  my  dear,"  Captain  Ripon,  her 
husband,  said.  "However,  it  is,  as  you  say,  too  bad, 
and  I  will  bring  the  fellow  to  justice  if  I  can.  There 
are  twelve  prize  fowls  worth  a  couple  of  guineas 
apiece,  not  to  mention  the  fact  of  their  being  pets  of 
yours,  stolen,  probably  by  tramps,  who  will  eat  them, 
and  for  whom  the  commonest  barn-door  chickens  would 
have  done  as  well.  There  are  marks  of  blood  in  two 
or  three  places,  so  they  have  evidently  been  killed  for 
food.     The  house  was  locked  up  last  night  all  right 


10  THE  LOST  FOWLS. 

for  yon  see  they  got  in  by  breaking  in  a  panel  o£  the 
door.  Robson,  run  down  to  the  village  at  once,  and 
tell  the  policeman  to  come  up  here,  and  ask  if  any 
gypsies  or  tramps  have  been  seen  in  the  neighbour- 
hood." 

The  village  lay  at  the  gate  of  Captain  Ripon's  park, 
and  the  gardener  soon  returned  with  the  policeman. 

"  I've  heard  say  there  are  some  gypsies  camped  on 
Netherwood  Common,  four  miles  aAvay,"  that  func- 
tionary said  in  answer  to  Captain  Ripon. 

"Put  the  gray  mare  in  the  dog-cart,  Sam;  we  will 
drive  over  at  once,  they  will  hardly  expect  us  so  soon. 
We  will  pick  up  another  policeman  at  Netherwood; 
they  may  show  fight  if  Ave  are  not  in  strength." 

Five  minutes  later  Captain  Ripon  was  travelling 
along  the  road  at  the  rate  of  twelve  miles  an  hour, 
with  Sam  by  his  side,  and  the  policeman  sitting 
behind.  At  Netherwood  they  took  up  another  police- 
man, and  a  few  minutes  later  drove  up  to  the  gypsy 
encampment. 

There  was  a  slight  stir  when  they  were  seen  ap- 
proaching, and  then  the  gypsies  went  on  with  their 
usual  work,  the  women  weavino-  baskets  from  osiers, 
the  men  cutting  up  gorse  into  skewers.  There  were 
four  low  tents,  and  a  wagon  stood  near,  a  bony  horse 
OTazimj  on  the  common. 

"Now,"  Captain  Ripon  said,  "I  am  a  magistrate, 
and  I  daresay  you  know  what  I  have  come  for.  My 
fowl-house  has  been  broken  open,  and  some  valuable 


A   GYPSY    CAMP.  11 

fowls  stolen.  Now,  policeman,  look  about  and  see  if 
you  can  find  any  traces  of  them." 

The  gypsies  rose  to  their  feet  with  angry  gestures. 

"Why  do  you  come  to  us?"  one  of  the  men  said. 
"  When  a  fowl  is  stolen  you  always  suspect  us,  as  if 
there  were  no  other  thieves  in  the  world." 

"  There  are  plenty  of  other  thieves,  my  friend,  and 
we  shall  not  interfere  with  you  if  we  find  nothing 
suspicious." 

"  There  have  been  some  fowls  plucked  here,"  one  of 
the  policemen  said;  "here  is  a  little  feather" — and  he 
showed  one  of  only  half  an  inch  in  length — "and 
there  is  another  on  that  woman's  hair.  They  have 
cleaned  them  up  nicely  enough,  but  it  ain't  easy  to 
pick  up  every  feather.  I'll  be  bound  we  find  a  fowl  in 
the  pot." 

Two  of  the  gypsies  leapt  forward,  stick  in  hand; 
but  the  oldest  man  present  said  a  word  or  two  to  them 
in  their  own  dialect. 

"You  may  look  in  the  pot,"  he  said,  turning  to 
Captain  Ripon,  "  and  maybe  you  will  find  a  fowl  there 
with  other  things;  w^e  bought  'em  at  the  market  at 
Hunston  yesterday." 

The  policeman  lifted  the  lid  qf^  the  great  pot  which 
was  hanging  over  the  fire,  and  stirred  up  the  contents 
with  a  stick. 

"  There's  rabbits  here,  two  or  three  of  them,  I  should 
say,  and  a  fowl,  perhaps  two,  but  they  are  cut  up." 

"  I  cannot  swear  to  that,"  Captain  Ripon  said,  exam- 


12  A   PIECE   OF  EVIDENCE. 

ining  the  portions  of  fowl,  "  though  the  plumpness  of 
the  breasts  and  the  size  show  that  they  are  not  ordinary 
fowls."  He  looked  round  again  at  the  tents.  "  But  I 
can  pretty  well  sw^ear  to  this,"  he  said,  as  he  stooped 
and  picked  up  a  feather  which  lay  half  concealed 
between  the  edge  of  one  of  the  tents  and  the  grass. 
"This  is  a  breast-feather  of  a  Spangled  Dorking. 
These  are  not  birds  which  would  be  sold  for  eating  in 
Hunston  market,  and  it  will  be  for  these  men  to  show 
where  they  got  it  from." 

A  smothered  oath  broke  from  one  or  two  of  the 
men.  The  elder  signed  to  them  to  be  quiet.  "  That's 
not  proof,"  he  said  insolently.  "  You  can't  convict  five 
men  because  the  feather  of  a  fowl  which  you  cannot 
swear  to  is  found  in  their  camp." 

"  No,"  Captain  Ripon  said  quietly.  "  I  do  not  want 
to  convict  any  one  but  the  thief;  but  the  proof  is  suf- 
ficient for  taking  you  in  custody,  and  we  shall  find  out 
which  was  the  guilty  man  afterwards.  Now,  lads,  it 
will  be  worse  for  you  if  you  make  trouble.  Constables, 
take  them  up  to  Mr.  Bailey;  he  lives  half  a  mile  away. 
Fortunately,  we  have  means  of  proving  which  is  the 
fellow  concerned.  Now,  Sam,  you  and  I  will  go  up 
with  the  Netherwood  constable  to  Mr.  Bailey;  and  do 
you,"  he  said  to  the  other  policeman,  "keep  a  sharp 
watch  over  these  women.  You  say  you  can  find 
nothing  in  the  tents,  but  it  is  likely  the  other  fowls 
are  hid  not  far  off,  and  I  will  put  all  the  boys  of  the 
village  to  search  when  I  come  back." 


A  FOOTMARK.  13 

The  gypsies,  with  sullen  faces,  accompanied  Captain 
Ripon  and  the  policeman  to  the  magistrate's. 

"Is  that  feather  the  only  proof  you  have,  Eipon?" 
Mr.  Bailey  asked  when  he  had  given  his  evidence. 
"  I  do  not  think  that  it  will  be  enough  to  convict  if 
unsupported;  besides,  you  cannot  bring  it  home  to  any 
one  of  them.  But  it  is  sufficient  for  me  to  have  them 
locked  up  for  twenty-four  hours,  and,  in  the  mean- 
time, you  may  find  the  other  fowls." 

"  But  I  have  means  of  identification,"  Captain  Ripon 
said.  "  There  is  a  footmark  in  some  earth  at  the  fowl- 
house  door.  It  is  made  by  a  boot  which  has  got  hob- 
nails and  a  horse-shoe  heel,  and  a  piece  of  that  heel 
has  been  broken  oflf.  Now,  which  of  these  men  has  got 
such  a  boot  on?  Whichever  has  he  is  the  man."  There 
was  a  sudden  movement  among  the  accused. 

"  It's  of  no  use,"  one  of  them  said  when  the  policeman 
approached  to  examine  their  boots.  "  I'm  the  man,  I'll 
admit  it.  I  can't  get  over  the  boot;"  and  he  held  up 
his  right  foot. 

"That  is  the  boot,  sir,"  the  constable  exclaimed; 
"  I  can  swear  that  it  will  fit  the  impression  exactly." 

"Very  well,"  the  magistrate  said.  "Constable,  take 
that  man  to  the  lock-up,  and  bring  him  before  the 
bench  to-morrow  for  final  committal  for  trial.  There 
is  no  evidence  against  the  other  four.     They  can  go." 

With  surly  threatening  faces  the  men  left  the  room, 
while  the  constable  placed  handcuflfs  on  the  prisoner. 

"  Constable,"  Mr.  Bailey  said,  "  you  had  better  not 


14  A   VISITOR. 

put  this  man  in  the  village  lock-up.  The  place  is  of 
no  great  strength,  and  his  comrades  would  as  likely  as 
not  get  him  out  to-night.  Put  him  in  my  dog-cart; 
my  groom  shall  drive  you  over  to  Hunston." 
-  Captain  Ripon  returned  with  his  groom  to  Nether- 
wood,  and  set  all  the  children  searching  the  gorse, 
copses,  and  hedges  near  the  common  by  the  promise  of 
ten  shillings  reward  if  they  found  the  missing  fowls. 

Half  an  hour  later  the  gypsies  struck  tlieir  tents, 
loaded  the  van,  and  went  off. 

Late  that  afternoon  the  ten  missing  fowls  were 
discovered  in  a  small  copse  by  the  wayside,  half  a  mile 
from  the  common  on  the  road  to  Captain  Ripon's  park. 

"  I  cannot  bring  your  fowls  back  to  life,  Emma,"  that 
gentleman  said  when  he  returned  home,  "  but  I  have 
got  the  thief.  It  was  one  of  the  gypsies  on  Nether- 
wood  Common.  We  found  two  of  the  fowls  in  their 
pot.  No  doubt  they  thought  that  they  would  have 
plenty  of  time  to  get  their  dinner  before  anyone  came, 
even  if  suspicion  fell  on  them ;  and  they  have  hidden 
the  rest  away  somewhere,  but  I  expect  that  we  shall 
find  them.  They  had  burnt  all  the  feathers,  as  they 
thought;  but  I  found  a  breast-feather  of  a  Spangled 
Dorking,  and  that  was  enough  for  me  to  give  them  in 
custody.  Then,  when  it  came  to  the  question  of  boots, 
the  thief  found  it  no  good  to  deny  it  any  longer/' 

That  evening  Captain  Ripon  was  told  that  a  woman 
wished  to  speak  to  him,  and  on  going  out  into  the  hall 
he  saw  a  gypsy  of  some  thirty  years  of  age. 


A   THREAT.  15 

"  I  have  come,  sir,  to  beg  you  not  to  appear  against 
my  husband." 

"But,  my  good  woman,  I  see  no  reason  "wh}^  I 
should  not  do  so.  If  he  had  only  stolen  a  couple  of 
common  fowls  for  a  sick  wife  or  child  I  might  have 
been  inclined  to  overlook  it,  for  I  am  not  fond  of  send- 
ing men  to  prison;  but  to  steal  a  dozen  valuable  fowls 
for  the  pot  is  a  little  too  much.  Besides,  the  matter 
has  gone  too  far  now  for  me  to  retiact,  even  if  I 
wished  to,  which  I  certainly  do  not." 

"  He  is  a  good  husband,  sir." 

"  He  may  be,"  Captain  Bipon  said,  "  th-ough  that 
black  eye  you  have  got  does  not  speak  in  his  favour. 
But  that  has  nothing  to  do  with  it;  matters  must  take 
their  course." 

The  woman  changed  her  tone. 

"I  have  asked  you  fairly,  sir;  and  it  will  be  better 
for  you  if  you  don't  prosecute  Reuben." 

"Oh,  nonsense,  my  good  woman!  Don't  let  me 
have  any  threats,  or  it  will  be  worse  for  you." 

"  I  tell  you,"  the  woman  exclaimed  fiercely,  "  it  will 
be  the  worse  for  you  if  you  appear  against  my  Reuben." 

"  There,  go  out,"  Captain  Ripon  said,  opening  the 
front  door  of  the  hall.  "  As  if  I  cared  for  your  ridicu- 
lous threats !  Your  husband  will  get  what  he  deserves 
— five  years,  if  I  am  not  mistaken." 

"You  will  repent  this,"  the  gypsy  said  as  she 
passed  out. 

Captain  Ripon  closed  the  door  after  her  without  a  word. 


16  A  NERVOUS   WIFE. 

"'Well,  who  was  it?"  his  wife  inquired  when  he 
returned  to  the  drawing-room. 

"  An  insolent  gypsy  woman,  wife  of  the  man  who 
stole  the  fowls.  She  had  the  impudence  to  threaten 
me  if  I  appeared  against  him." 

"Oh,  Robert!"  the  young  wife  exclaimed  apprehen- 
sively, "  what  could  she  do  ?  Perhaps  you  had  better 
not  appear." 

"  Nonsense,  my  dear!"  her  husband  laughed.  "  Not 
appear  because  an  impudent  gypsy  woman  has  threat- 
ened me?  A  nice  magistrate  I  should  be!  Why,  half 
the  fellows  wdio  are  committed  swear  that  they  will 
pay  off  the  magistrate  some  day,  but  nothing  ever 
comes  of  it.  Here  we  have  been  married  six  months, 
and  you  are  wanting  me  to  neglect  my  duty,  especially 
when  it  is  your  pet  fowls  which  have  been  stolen. 
"  Why,  at  the  worst,  my  dear,"  he  went  on,  seeing  that 
his  wife  still  looked  pale,  "they  could  burn  down  a 
rick  or  two  on  a  windy  night  in  winter;  and  to  satisfy 
you  I  will  have  an  extra  sharp  look-out  kept  in  that 
direction,  and  have  a  watch-dog  chained  up  near  them. 
Come,  my  love,  it  is  not  worth  giving  a  second  thought 
about,  and  I  shall  not  tell  you  about  my  work  on  the 
bench  if  you  are  going  to  take  matters  to  heart  like 
this." 

The  winter  came  and  went,  and  the  ricks  were  un- 
touched, and  Captain  Ripon  forgot  all  about  the  gypsy's 
threats.  At  the  assizes  a  previous  conviction  was 
proved  against  her  husband,  and  he  got  five  years' 

(  274 ) 


A   BLOOD-MARK.  17 

penal  servitude,  and  after  the  trial  was  over  the  matter 
passed  out  of  the  minds  of  both  husband  and  wife. 
They  had  indeed  other  matters  to  think  about,  for  soon 
after  Christmas  a  baby  boy  was  born  and  monopolized 
the  greater  portion  of  his  mother's  thoughts.  When  in 
due  time  he  was  taken  out  for  walks  the  old  women  of 
the  village,  perhaps  with  an  eye  to  presents  from  the 
Park,  were  unanimous  in  declaring  that  he  was  the 
finest  boy  ever  seen,  and  the  image  both  of  his  father 
and  mother.  He  certainly  was  a  fine  baby,  and  his 
mother  lamented  sorely  over  the  fact  that  he  had  a 
dark  blood-mark  about  the  size  of  a  threepenny  piece 
upon  his  shoulder.  Her  husband,  however,  consoled 
her  by  pointing  out  that,  as  it  was  a  boy,  the  mark  did 
not  matter  in  the  slightest,  whereas,  had  it  been  a  girl, 
the  mark  would  have  been  a  disfigurement  when  she  at- 
tained to  the  dignified  age  at  which  low  dresses  arew^orn. 

"Yes,  of  course,  that  would  have  been  dreadful, 
Robert;  still,  you  know,  it  is  a  pity." 

"I  really  cannot  see  that  it  is  even  a  pity,  little 
woman;  and  it  would  have  made  no  great  difference  if 
he  had  been  spotted  all  over  like  a  leopard,  so  that  his 
face  and  arms  were  free;  the  only  drawback  would 
have  been  he  would  have  got  some  nickname  or  other, 
such  as  '  the  Leopard,'  or  '  Spotty,'  or  something  of  that 
sort  when  he  went  to  bathe  with  his  school-fellows. 
But  this  little  spot  does  not  matter  in  the  slightest. 
Some  day  or  other  Tom  will  laugh  when  I  tell  him 
what  a  fuss  you  made  over  it." 

(274)  B 


18  TOM  ripon's  progress. 

Mrs.  Ripon  was  silenced,  but  although  she  said  noth- 
ing more  about  it,  she  was  grieved  in  her  heart  at  this 
little  blemish  on  her  boy,  and  lamented  that  it  would 
spoil  his  appearance  when  he  began  to  run  about  in 
little  short  frocks,  and  she  determined  at  once  that  he 
should  wear  long  curls  until  he  got  into  jackets. 

Summer,  autumn,  and  winter  came  and  passed.  In 
the  spring  Tom  Kipon  was  toddling  about,  but  he  had 
not  yet  begun  to  talk,  although  his  mother  declared 
that  certain  incoherent  sounds  which  he  made  were 
quite  plain  and  distinct  words;  but  her  husband,  while 
willing  to  allow  that  they  might  be  perfectly  intelligible 
to  her,  insisted  that  to  the  male  ear  they  in  no  way 
resembled  words. 

"  But  he  ought  to  begin  to  talk,  Robert,"  his  wife 
urged.  "  He  is  sixteen  months  old  now,  and  can  run 
about  quite  well.     He  really  ought  to  begin  to  talk." 

"  He  will  talk  before  long,"  her  husband  said  care- 
lessly. "Many  children  do  not  talk  till  they  are 
eighteen  months  old,  some  not  till  they  are  two  years. 
Besides,  you  say  he  does  begin  already." 

"  Yes,  Robert,  but  not  quite  plainly." 

"  No,  indeed,  not  plainly  at  all,"  her  husband  laughed. 
"  Don't  trouble,  my  dear,  he  will  talk  soon  enough,  and 
if  he  only  talks  as  loud  as  he  roars  sometimes,  you  will 
regret  the  hurry  you  have  been  in  about  it." 

"Oh,  Robert,  how  can  you  talk  so?  I  am  sure  he 
does  not  cry  more  than  other  children.  Nurse  says  he 
is  the  best  child  she  ever  knew." 


A   PRODIGY.  19 

"Of  course  she  does,  my  dear;  nurses  always  do. 
But  I  don't  say  he  roars  more  than  other  children. 
I  only  say  he  roars,  and  that  loudly;  so  you  need  not 
be  afraid  of  there  being  anything  the  matter  with  his 
tongue  or  his  lungs.  What  fidgets  you  young  mothers 
are,  to  be  sure!" 

"  And  what  heartless  things  you  young  fathers  are, 
to  be  sure ! "  his  wife  retorted,  laughing.  "  Men  don't 
deserve  to  have  children,  they  do  not  appreciate  them 
one  bit." 

"We  appreciate  them  in  our  way,  little  woman,  but 
it  is  not  a  fussy  way.  We  are  content  with  them  as 
they  are,  and  are  not  in  any  hurry  for  them  to  run,  or 
to  walk,  or  to  cut  their  first  teeth.  Tom  is  a  fine  little 
chap,  and  I  am  very  fond  of  him  in  his  way,  princi- 
pally, perhaps,  because  he  is  your  Tom;  but  I  cannot 
see  that  he  is  a  prodigy." 

"  He  is  a  prodigy,"  Mrs.  Ripon  said,  with  a  little  toss 
of  her  head,  "and  I  shall  go  up  to  the  nursery  to 
admire  him."  So  saying  she  walked  ofi'  with  dignity, 
and  Captain  Ripon  went  out  to  look  at  his  horses,  and 
thought  to  himself  what  a  wonderful  dispensation  of 
providence  it  was  that  mothers  were  so  fond  of  their 
babies. 

"  I  don't  know  what  the  poor  little  beggars  would 
do,"  he  muttered,  "if  they  had  only  their  fathers  to 
look  after  them;  but  I  suppose  we  should  take  to  it, 
just  as  the  old  goose  in  the  yard  has  taken  to  that 
brood  of  chickens  whose  mother  was  carried  off  by  the 


20  TOM  MISSING. 

fox.  By  the  way,  I  must  order  some  wire-netting;  I 
forgot  to  write  for  it  yesterday." 

Another  two  months.  It  was  June;  and  now  even 
Captain  Eipon  allowed  that  Tom  could  say  "  Pa  "  and 
"Ma"  with  tolerable  distinctness,  but  as  yet  he  had 
got  no  farther.  He  could  now  run  about  sturdily;  and 
as  the  season  was  warm  and  bright,  and  Mrs.  Eipon 
believed  in  fresh  air,  the  child  spent  a  considerable 
portion  of  his  time  in  the  garden.  One  day  his  mother 
was  out  with  him,  and  he  had  been  running  about  for 
some  time.  Mrs.  Ripon  was  picking  flowers,  for  she 
had  a  dinner-party  that  evening,  and  she  enjoj^ed 
getting  her  flowers  and  arranging  her  vases  herself. 
Presently  she  looked  round,  but  Tom  was  missing. 
There  were  many  clumps  of  ornamental  shrubs  on  the 
lawn,  and  Mrs.  Ripon  thought  nothing  of  his  disap- 
pearance. 

*'  Tom,"  she  called,  "  come  to  mamma,  she  wants  you," 
and  went  on  with  her  work. 

A  minute  or  two  passed. 

"Where  is  that  little  pickle?"  she  said.  "Hiding,  I 
suppose;"  and  she  went  off  in  search.  Nowhere  was 
Tom  to  be  seen.  She  called  loudly,  and  searched  in 
the  bushes. 

"He  must  have  gone  up  to  the  house.  Oh,  here 
comes  nurse.  Nurse,  have  you  seen  Master  Tom?  he 
has  just  run  away,"  she  called. 

"  No,  ma'am,  I  have  seen^nothing  of  him." 

"He   must  be  about  the   <iarden  then,  somewhere. 


AN   ANXIOUS   SEARCH.  21 

Look  about,  nurse;  where  can  the  child  have  hidden 
itself?" 

Nurse  and  mother  ran  about,  calling  loudly  the  name 
of  the  missing  child.  Five  minutes  later  Mrs.  Ripon 
ran  into  the  study,  where  her  husband  was  going 
throuo'h  his  farm  accounts. 

"  Oh,  Robert,"  she  said,  "  I  can't  find  Tom!"  and  she 
burst  into  tears. 

"Not  find  Tom?"  her  husband  said,  rising  in  sur- 
prise.    "  Why,  how  long  have  you  missed  him?" 

"He  was  out  in  the  garden  with  me;  I  was  picking 
flowers  for  the  dinner- table,  and  when  I  looked  round 
he  was  gone.  Nurse  and  I  have  been  looking  every- 
where, and  calling,  but  we  cannot  find  him." 

"  Oh,  he  is  all  right,"  Captain  Ripon  said  cheerfully; 
"do  not  alarm  yourself,  little  woman;  he  must  have 
wandered  into  the  shrubbery;  we  shall  hear  him  howl- 
ing directly.     But  I  will  come  and  look  for  him." 

No  better  success  attended  Captain  Ripon's  search 
than  that  which  his  wife  had  met  with.  He  looked 
anxious  now.  The  gardeners  and  servants  were  called, 
and  soon  every  place  in  the  garden  was  ransacked. 

"  He  must  have  got  through  the  gate  somehow  into 
the  park,"  Captain  Ripon  said,  hurrying  in  that  direc- 
tion. "  He  certainly  is  not  in  the  garden  or  in  any  of 
the  hothouses." 

Some  of  the  men  had  already  gone  in  that  direction. 
Presently  Captain  Ripon  met  one  running  back. 

"I  have  been  down  to  the   f^'ate,  sir,  and  can  see 


22  AN   OMINOUS   DISCOVERY. 

nothing  of  Master  Tom;  but  in  the  middle  of  the  drive, 
just  by  the  clump  of  laurels  by  the  gate,  this  boot  was 
lying,  just  as  if  it  had  been  put  there  on  purpose  to  be 
seen." 

"Nonsense!"  Captain  Ripon  said.  "What  can  that 
have  to  do  with  it?"  Nevertheless  he  took  the  boot 
and  looked  at  it.  It  was  a  roughly  made  heavy  boot, 
such  as  would  be  worn  by  a  labouring  man.  He  was 
about  to  throw  it  carelessly  aside,  and  to  proceed  on 
his  search,  when  he  happened  to  turn  it  over.  Then 
he  started  as  if  struck.  "  Good  Heaven ! "  he  exclaimed, 
''  it  is  the  gypsy's."  Yes,  he  remembered  it  now.  The 
man  had  pleaded  not  guilty  when  brought  up  at  the 
assizes,  and  the  boot  had  been  produced  as  evidence. 
He  remembered  it  particularly  because,  after  the  man 
was  sentenced,  his  wife  had  provoked  a  smile  by  asking 
that  the  boots  might  be  given  up  to  her  in  exchange 
for  a  better  pair  for  her  husband  to  put  on  when  dis- 
charged from  prison.  Yes,  it  was  clear.  The  gypsy 
woman  had  kept  her  word,  and  had  taken  her  revenge. 
She  had  stolen  the  child,  and  had  placed  the  boot  where 
it  would  attract  attention,  in  order  that  the  parents 
might  know  the  hand  that  struck  them.  Instantly 
Captain  Ripon  ran  to  the  stable,  ordered  the  groom  to 
mount  at  once,  and  scour  every  road  and  lane,  while 
he  himself  rode  off  to  Hunston  to  give  notice  to  the 
police,  and  offer  a  large  reward  for  the  child's  recovery. 

He  charged  the  man  who  had  brought  the  boot  to 
carry  it  away,  and  put  it  in  a  place  of  safety  till  it 


ENERGETIC   MEASURES.  23 

was  required;  and  on  no  account  to  mention  to  a  soul 
where  he  put  it. 

Before  riding  off,  he  ran  in  to  his  wife,  who  was  half 
wild  with  grief,  to  tell  her  that  he  was  going  to  search 
outside  the  park,  and  that  she  must  keep  up  her 
spirits,  for  no  doubt  Tom  would  turn  up  all  right  in 
no  time. 

He  admitted  to  himself,  however,  as  he  galloped 
away,  that  he  was  not  altogether  sure  that  Tom  w^ould 
be  so  speedily  recovered.  The  woman  would  never 
have  dared  to  place  the  boot  on  the  road,  and  so  give  a 
clue  against  herself,  unless  she  felt  very  confident  that 
she  could  get  away  or  conceal  herself. 

"  She  has  probably  some  hiding-place  close  by  the 
park,"  he  said  to  himself,  "where  she  will  lie  hid  till 
night,  and  will  tlien  make  across  country." 

He  paused  at  the  village,  and  set  the  whole  popula- 
tion at  work  by  telling  them  that  his  child  was  miss- 
ing, and  had,  he  believed,  been  carried  off  by  a  gypsy 
woman;  and  that  he  would  give  fifty  pounds  to  any- 
one who  would  find  him.  She  could  not  be  far  off,  as 
it  was  only  about  half  an  hour  since  the  child  had 
been  missed. 

Then  he  galloped  to  Hunston,  set  the  police  at  work; 
and,  going  to  a  printer,  told  him  instantly  to  set  up 
and  strike  off"  placards  ofi'ering  five  hundred  pounds 
reward  for  the  recovery  of  the  child.  This  was  to  be 
done  in  an  hour  or  two,  and  then  taken  to  the  police 
station  for  distribution  throughout  the  country  round. 


24  A   CHEERING   REFLECTION. 

Having  now  done  all  in  his  power,  Captain  Ripon 
rode  back  as  rapidly  as  he  had  come,  in  hopes  that  the 
child  might  already  have  been  found. 

No  news  had,  however,  been  obtained  of  him,  nor  had 
anyone  seen  any  strange  woman  in  the  neighbourhood. 

On  reaching  the  house  he  found  his  wife  prostrated 
with  grief;  and,  in  answer  to  her  questions,  he  thought 
it  better  to  tell  her  about  the  discovery  of  the  boot. 

"  We  may  be  some  little  time  before  we  find  the 
boy,"  he  said,  "  but  we  shall  find  him  sooner  or  later. 
I  have  got  placards  out  already,  ofi"ering  five  hundred 
pounds  reward;  and  this  evening  I  will  send  adver- 
tisements to  all  the  papers  in  this  and  the  neighbour- 
ing counties.  Do  not  fret,  darling.  The  woman  has 
done  it  out  of  spite,  no  doubt;  but  she  will  not  risk 
putting  her  neck  in  a  noose  by  harming  the  child. 
It  is  a  terrible  grief,  but  it  will  only  be  for  a  time;  we 
are  sure  to  find  him  before  long." 

Later  in  the  evening,  when  Mrs.  Ripon  had  some- 
what recovered  her  composure,  she  said  to  her  husband: 

"  How  strange  are  God's  ways,  Robert;  how  wicked 
and  wrong  in  us  to  grumble!  I  was  foolish  enough  to 
fret  over  that  mark  on  the  darling's  neck,  and  now  the 
thought  of  it  is  my  greatest  comfort.  If  it  should  be 
God's  will  that  months  or  years  should  pass  over  before 
we  find  him,  there  is  a  sign  by  which  we  shall  always 
know  him.  No  other  child  can  be  palmed  off*  upon  us 
as  our  own;  when  we  find  Tom  we  shall  know  him, 
however  changed  he  may  be!" 


NO   NEWS.  25 

"Yes,  dear,"  her  husband  said,  ''God  is  very  good, 
and  this  trial  may  be  sent  us  for  the  best.  As  you  say, 
we  can  take  comfort  now  from  what  we  were  disposed 
to  think  at  the  time  a  little  cross.  After  that,  dear, 
we  may  surely  trust  in  God.  That  mark  was  placed 
there  that  we  might  know  our  boy  again;  and  were  it 
not  decreed  that  we  should  again  see  him,  that  mark 
would  have  been  useless." 

The  thought,  for  a  time,  greatly  cheered  Mrs.  Ripon ; 
but  gradually  the  hope  that  she  should  ever  see  her 
boy  again  faded  away,  and  Captain  Ripon  became 
much  alarmed  at  the  manifest  change  in  her  health. 

In  spite  of  all  Captain  Ripon  could  do,  no  news  was 
obtained  of  the  gypsy  or  Tom.  For  weeks  he  rode 
about  the  country  asking  questions  in  every  village,  or 
hurried  away  to  distant  parts  of  England,  where  the 
police  thought  they  had  a  clue. 

It  was  all  in  vain.  Every  gypsy  encampment  in  the 
kingdom  was  searched,  but  without  avail;  and  even 
the  police,  sharp-eyed  as  they  are,  could  not  guess  that 
the  decent-looking  Irishwoman,  speaking — when  she 
did  speak,  which  was  seldom,  for  she  was  a  taciturn 
woman — with  a  strong  brogue,  working  in  a  laundry 
in  a  small  street  in  the  Potteries,  Notting  Hill,  was  the 
gypsy  they  were  looking  for;  or  that  the  little  boy, 
whose  father  she  said  was  at  sea,  was  the  child  for 
whose  discovery  a  thousand  pounds  was  continually 
advertised. 


CHAPTER     II. 


THE   FOUNDLING. 


VJiT  was  a  bitterly  cold  night  in  January.  The 
wind  was  roaring  across  the  flats  and  fens 
■J  of  Cambridgeshire,  driving  tiny  flakes  of 
snow  before  it.  But  few  people  had  been  about  all 
day,  and  those  whose  business  compelled  them  to  face 
the  weather  had  hurried  along  mufiied  up  to  the  chin. 
It  was  ten  at  night,  and  the  porter  and  his  wife  at 
the  workhouse  at  Ely  had  just  gone  to  bed,  when  the 
woman  exclaimed,  "  Sam,  1  hear  a  child  crying." 

''Oh,  nonsense!"  the  man  replied,  drawing  the  bed- 
clothes higher  over  his  head;  "it  is  the  wind;  it's  been 
whistling  all  day." 

The  woman  was  silent  but  not  convinced.  Presently 
she  sat  up  in  bed.  ''  I  tell  ydu,  Sam,  it's  a  child;  don't 
you  hear  it,  man?  Its  a  child  outside  the  gate.  On 
such  a  night  as  this  too.  Get  up,  man,  and  see;  if  you 
won't  I  will  go  myself." 

"  Lie  still,  woman,  it's  all  thy  fancy." 

"You  are  a  fool,  Sam  Dickson,"  his  wife  said  sharply. 
"  Do  you  think  I  have  lived  to  the  age  of  forty-flve. 


THE   WORKHOUSE   GATE.  27 

and  don't  know  a  child's  cry  when  I  hear  it  ?  Now 
are  you  going  to  get  up,  or  am  I  ?" 

With  much  grumbling  the  porter  turned  out  of  bed, 
slipped  on  a  pair  of  trousers  and  a  greatcoat,  took 
down  the  key  from  the  wall,  lighted  a  lantern,  and 
went  out.  He  opened  the  gate  and  looked  out.  There 
was  nothing  to  be  seen,  and  he  was  about  to  close  the 
gate  again  with  a  curse  on  his  wife's  fancies,  when  a 
fresh  cry  broke  on  his  ears.  He  hurried  out  now,  and, 
directed  by  the  voice,  found  lying  near  the  gate  a  child 
wrapped  in  a  dark-coloured  shawl,  which  had  pre- 
vented him  from  seeing  it  at  his  first  glance.  There 
was  no  one  else  in  sight.  The  man  lifted  his  lantern 
above  his  head  and  gave  a  shout.  There  was  no  an- 
swer. Then  he  raised  the  child  and  carried  it  in, 
locked  the  door,  and  entered  the  lodge. 

"You  are  right  for  once,"  he  said.  "  Here  is  a  child, 
and  a  pretty  heavy  one  too.  It  has  been  deserted  by 
some  one;  and  a  heartless  creature  she  must  have 
been,  for  in  another  half-hour  it  would  have  been 
frozen  to  death  if  you  had  not  heard  it." 

The  woman  was  out  of  bed  now.  "  It  is  a  boy,"  she 
said,  opening  the  shawl,  "  about  two  years  old,  I  should 
say.  Don't  cry,  my  boy — don't  cry.  It's  half-frozen, 
Sam.  The  best  thing  will  be  to  put  it  into  our  bed, 
that  has  just  got  warm.  I  will  warm  it  up  a  little 
milk.     It's  no  use  taking  it  into  the  ward  to-night." 

Ten  minutes  later  the  child  was  sound  asleep,  the 
porter,  who  was  a  good-natured  man,  having  gone  over 


28  THE   WAIF. 

to  sleep  in  an  empty  bed  in  the  house,  leaving  the 
child  to  share  his  wife's  bed. 

In  the  morning  the  foundling  opened  its  eyes  and 
looked  round.  Seeing  everything  strange  it  began 
to  cry. 

"  Don't  cry,  dear/'  the  woman  said.  "  I  will  get  you 
some  nice  breakfast  directly." 

The  kindness  of  tone  at  once  pacified  the  child.  It 
looked  round. 

''Where's  mother?"  he  asked. 

"  1  don't  know,  dear,  we  shall  find  her  soon  enough, 
no  doubt;  don't  you  fret." 

The  child  did  not  seem  inclined  to  fret;  on  the  con- 
trary, he  brightened  up  visibly. 

"AVill  she  beat  Billy  when  she  comes  back?  " 

'' No,  my  dear,  she  shan't  beat  you.  Does  she  often 
beat  you  ? " 

The  child  nodded  its  head  several  times  emphatically. 

''  Then  she's  a  bad  lot,"  the  woman  said  indignantly. 

The  child  ate  its  breakfast  contentedly,  *and  was 
then  carried  by  the  porter's  wife  to  the  master,  who 
had  already  heard  the  circumstance  of  its  entry. 

'It's  of  no  use  asking  such  a  baby  whether  it  has 
any  name,"  he  said;  "of  course  it  would  not  know. 
It  had  better  go  into  the  infants'  ward;  the  guardians 
will  settle  what  its  name  shall  be.  We  will  set  the 
police  at  work  and  try  and  find  out  something  about 
its  mother.  It  is  a  fine-looking  little  chap,  and  she 
must   be    either   a   thoroughly   bad   one,   or   terribly 


THE   DEAD   TRAMP.  29 

pressed,  to  desert  it  like  this.  Most  likely  it  is  a  tramp, 
and  in  that  case  it's  odds  we  shall  never  hear  further 
about  it.     Any  distinguishing  mark  on  its  clothes?" 

"  None  at  all,  sir.  It  is  poorly  dressed,  and  seems 
to  have  been  very  bad  treated;  its  skin  is  dirty,  and 
its  little  back  is  black  and  blue  with  bruises;  but 
it  has  a  blood-mark  on  the  neck,  which  will  enable  its 
mother  to  swear  to  it,  if  it's  fifty  years  hence;  but  I 
don't  suppose  we  shall  ever  hear  of  her  again." 

That  afternoon,  however,  the  news  came  that  the 
body  of  a  tramp  had  been  found  frozen  to  death  in  a 
ditch  near  the  town.  She  had  apparently  lost  her 
way,  and  when  she  had  fallen  in  was  so  numbed  and 
cold  that  she  was  unable  to  rise,  and  so  had  been 
drowned  in  the  shallow  water.  When  the  master 
heard  of  it  he  sent  for  the  porter's  wife. 

"  Mrs.  Dickson,"  he  said,  "  you  had  better  take  that 
child  down  and  let  it  see  the  tramp  they  have  found 
frozen  to  death.  The  child  is  too  young  to  be  shocked 
at  death,  and  will  suppose  she  is  asleep.  But  you  will 
be  able  to  see  if  he  recognizes  her." 

There  was  no  doubt  as  to  the  recognition.  The 
child  started  in  terror  when  he  saw  the  woman  lying 
in  the  shed  into  which  she  had  been  carried.  It 
checked  its  first  impulse  to  cry  out,  but  struggled  to 
get  further  off*.  "  Moder  asleep,"  he  said  in  a  whisper. 
"  If  she  wake  she  beat  Billy." 

That  was  enough.  The  woman  carried  him  back  to 
the  house.     "  She's  his  mother,  sir,  sure  enough,"  she 


30  WILLIAM   GALE. 

said  to  the  master,  "  though  how  she  should  be  puzzles 
me.  She  is  dressed  in  pretty  decent  clothes,  but  she 
is  as  dark  as  a  gypsy,  with  black  hair.  This  child  is 
fair,  with  a  skin  as  white  as  milk,  now  he  is  washed." 

"I  daresay  he  takes  after  his  father,"  the  master, 
who  was  a  practical  man,  said.  ''I  hear  that  there  is 
no  name  on  her  things,  no  paper  or  other  article  which 
would  identify  her  in  her  pockets;  but  there  is  £2, 12s. 
in  her  purse,  so  she  was  not  absolutely  in  want.  It 
w^ill  pay  the  parish  for  her  funeral." 

An  hour  later  the  guardians  assembled,  and  upon 
hearing  the  circumstances  of  the  new-comer's  admis- 
sion and  the  death  of  the  tramp,  they  decided  that  the 
child  should  be  entered  in  the  books  as  "  William 
Gale,"  the  name  being  chosen  with  a  reference  to  the 
weather  during  which  he  came  into  the  house;  and 
against  his  name  a  note  was  written  to  the  effect  that 
his  mother,  a  tramp,  name  unknown,  had,  after  leaving 
him  at  the  door  of  the  workhouse,  been  found  frozen 
to  death  next  day.  William  Gale  grew  and  throve. 
He  was  a  quiet  and  contented  child;  accustomed  to  be 
shut  up  all  day  alone,  while  his  mother  was  out  wash- 
ing, the  companionship  of  other  children  in  the  Avork- 
house  was  a  pleasant  novelty,  and  if  the  food  was  not 
such  as  a  dainty  child  would  fancy,  it  was  at  least  as 
good  as  he  had  been  accustomed  to.  The  porter's  wife 
continued  to  be  the  fast  friend  of  the  child  whom  she 
had  saved  from  death.  The  fact  that  she  had  done  so 
gave  her  an  interest  in  it.     Her  own  children  were 


A    WARM   FRIEND.  31 

out  in  service  or  at  work  in  the  fields,  and  the  child 
was  a  pleasure  to  her.  Scarce  a  day  passed  then  that 
she  would  not  go  across  the  yard  up  to  the  infants' 
ward  and  bring  Billy  down  to  the  lodge,  where  he 
would  play  contentedly  by  the  hour,  or  sit  watching 
her  and  sucking  at  a  cake  while  she  w^ashed  or  pre- 
pared her  husband's  dinner. 

Billy  was  seldom  heard  to  cry.  Perhaps  he  had 
wept  all  his  stock  of  tears  away  before  he  entered  the 
house;  he  had  seldom  fits  of  bad  temper,  and  was 
a  really  lovable  child.  Mrs.  Dickson  never  wavered 
in  the  opinion  she  had  first  formed,  that  the  dead 
tramp  was  not  Billy's  mother;  but  as  no  one  else 
agreed  with  her  she  kept  her  thoughts  to  herself. 
The  years  passed  on,  and  William  Gale  was  now  no 
longer  in  the  infants'  ward,  but  took  his  place  in  the 
boys'  school.  Here  he  at  once  showed  an  intelligence 
beyond  that  of  the  other  boys  of  his  own  age.  The 
hours  which  he  had  each  day  spent  in  the  porter's 
lodge  had  not  been  wasted.  The  affection  of  the  good 
woman  had  brightened  his  life,  and  he  had  none  of  the 
dull,  down-cast  look  so  common  among  children  in 
workhouses.  She  had  encouraged  him  to  talk  and 
play,  had  taught  him  the  alphabet,  and  supplied  him 
with  an  occasional  picture-book  with  easy  words; 
indeed  she  devoted  far  more  time  to  him  than  many 
mothers  in  her  class  of  life  can  give  to  their  children. 
The  guardians,  as  they  went  in  and  out  to  board- 
meeting,  would  delight  her  by  remarking: — 


u2  MRS.  Dickson's  belief. 

"That  is  really  a  fine  little  fellow,  Mrs.  Dickson;  he 
really  does  you  credit.  A  fine  sturdy,  independent 
little  chap." 

The  child  of  course  wore  the  regular  uniform  of 
workhouse  children;  but  Mrs.  Dickson,  who  was 
handy  with  her  needle,  used  to  cut  and  alter  the 
clothes  to  fit  him,  and  thus  entirely  changed  their 
appearance. 

"He  looks  like  a  gentleman's  child,"  one  of  the 
guardians  said  one  day. 

"I  believe  he  is  a  gentleman's  child,  sir.  Look  at 
his  white  skin;  see  how  upright  he  is,  with  his  head 
far  back  as  if  he  was  somebody;  he  is  difi'erent  alto- 
gether from  the  run  of  them.  I  always  said  he  came 
of  good  blood,  and  I  shall  say  so  to  my  dying  day." 

"It  may  be  so,  Mrs.  Dickson;  but  the  woman  who 
left  him  here,  if  I  remember  right,  did  not  look  as  if 
she  had  any  good  blood  in  her." 

"  Not  likely,  sir.  She  never  came  by  him  honestly, 
I  am  sure;  I  couldn't  have  believed  she  was  his 
mother,  not  if  she  had  sworn  to  it  with  her  dying 
breath." 

Mrs.  Dickson's  belief  was  not  without  influence 
upon  the  boy.  When  he  was  old  enough  to  under- 
stand she  told  him  the  circumstances  of  his  having 
been  found  at  the  workhouse  door,  and  of  the  dis- 
covery of  the  woman  who  had  brought  him  there;  and 
impressed  upon  him  her  own  strong  conviction  that 
this  was  not  his  mother. 


GOOD   ADVICE.  33 

"I  believe,  Billy,"  she  said  over  and  over  again, 
"that  your  parents  were  gentlefolk.  Now,  mind,  it 
does  not  make  one  bit  of  ditierence  to  you,  for  it  ain't 
likely  you  will  ever  hear  of  them.  Still,  please  God,  you 
may  do  so ;  and  it  is  for  you  to  bear  it  in  mind,  and  to 
act  so  as,  if  you  were  to  meet  them,  they  need  not  be 
ashamed  of  you.  You  have  got  to  earn  your  living 
just  like  all  the  other  boys  here,  but  you  can  act 
rio'ht  and  strai^rht  and  honourable.  Never  tell  a  lie, 
Billy,  not  if  it's  to  save  yourself  from  being  thrashed 
ever  so  much;  always  speak  out  manful  and  straight, 
no  matter  what  comes  of  it.  Don't  never  use  no  bad 
words,  work  hard  at  your  books  and  try  to  improve 
yourself.  Keep  it  always  before  you  that  you  mean 
to  be  a  good  man  and  a  gentleman  some  day;  and, 
mark  my  words,  you  will  do  it." 

"You're  spoiling  that  child,"  her  husband  would 
say,  "  filling  his  head  with  your  ridiculous  notions." 

"No,  I  am  not  spoiling  him,  Sam;  I'm  doing  him 
good.  It  will  help  keep  him  straight,  if  he  thinks 
that  he  is  of  gentle  blood  and  must  not  shame  it. 
Why,  the  matron  said  only  yesterday  she  could  not 
make  him  out,  he  was  so  different  from  other  boys." 

"More's  the  pity,"  grumbled  the  porter;  "it  mayn't 
do  him  harm  now — I  don't  say  as  it  does;  but  when 
he  leaves  the  house  he'll  be  above  his  work,  and  will 
be  discontented,  and  never  keep  a  place." 

*'  No,  he  won't,"  his  wife  asserted  stoutly,  although 
in  her  heart  she  feared  that  there  was  some  risk  of  her 

(274)  c 


34  willy's  master. 

teaching  having  that  effect.  So  far,  however,  there 
could  be  no  doubt  that  her  teaching  had  been  of  great 
advantage  to  the  boy,  and  his  steadiness  and  diligence 
soon  attracted  the  attention  of  the  schoolmaster. 
Schoolmasters  are  always  ready  to  help  pupils  for- 
ward who  promise  to  be  a  credit  to  them,  and  William 
Gale's  teacher  was  no  exception.  He  was  not  a  learned 
man,  very  far  from  it.  He  had  been  a  grocer  who  had 
failed  in  business,  and  having  no  other  resource  had 
accepted  the  very  small  salary  offered  by  the  guardians 
of  Ely  workhouse,  as  the  only  means  which  presented 
itself  of  keeping  out  of  one  of  the  pauper  wards  of  that 
institution.  However,  he  w^as  not  a  bad  reader,  and 
wrote  an  excellent  hand.  With  books  of  geography 
and  history  before  him  he  could  make  no  blunders  in 
his  teaching,  and  although  he  might  have  been  failing 
in  method,  he  was  not  harsh  or  unkind;  and  the  boys, 
therefore,  learned  as  much  with  him  as  they  might 
have  done  with  a  more  learned  master  of  a  harsher 
disposition.  He  soon  recognized  not  only  William's 
anxiety  to  learn,  but  the  fearlessness  and  spirit  with 
which  he  was  always  ready  to  own  a  fault  and  to  bear 
its  punishment.  On  several  occasions  he  brought  the 
boy  before  the  notice  of  the  guardians  when  they  came 
round  the  school;  and  when  questions  had  to  be  asked 
before  visitors,  William  Gale  was  always  called  up  as 
the  show  boy.  This  prominence  would  have  made  him 
an  object  of  dislike  among  the  other  lads  of  his  own 
age,  had  it  not  been  that  William  was  a  lively  good- 


A  boy's  library.  35 

tempered  boy;  and  if,  as  sometimes  happened  on  these 
occasions,  a  sixpence  or  shilling  was  slipped  into  his 
hand  by  some  visitor  who  was  taken  by  his  frank  open 
face  and  bright  intelligent  manner,  it  was  always  shared 
among  his  school-fellows.  At  one  of  the  examinations, 
the  wife  of  a  guardian,  who  was  present  with  her  hus- 
band, said  on  returning  home: 

"It  must  be  very  dull  for  those  poor  boys:  I  will 
pack  up  some  of  the  boys'  books  and  send  them.  Now 
they  have  gone  to  college  they  will  never  want  them 
again,  and  they  would  make  quite  a  library  for  the 
workhouse  boys.  There  must  be  twenty  or  thirty  of 
them  at  least." 

If  ladies  could  but  know  what  brightness  they  can 
infuse  into  the  lives  of  lads  placed  like  these  in  Ely 
workhouse,  by  a  simple  act  of  kindness  of  this  kind, 
there  would  not  be  an  institution  in  the  kingdom  with- 
out a  well-supplied  library. 

The  gift  infused  a  new  life  into  the  school.  Hitherto 
the  world  outside  had  been  a  sealed  book  to  the  boys. 
They  knew  of  no  world  save  that  included  within  the 
walls  of  the  house.  Their  geography  told  them  of  other 
lands  and  people,  but  these  were  mere  names  until  now. 
Among  the  books  were  "Robinson  Crusoe,"  "Midship- 
man Easy,"  "  Peter  Simple,"  three  or  four  of  Cooper's 
Indian  tales,  Dana's  "  Life  before  the  Mast,''  and  several 
of  Kingston's  and  Ballantyne's  books.  These  opened 
a  wonderland  of  life  and  adventure  to  the  boys.  The 
schoolmaster  used  to  give  them  out  at  twelve  o'clock, 


36  THE   CHOICE   OF   A   TRADE. 

and  they  were  returned  at  two  when  school  re-com- 
menced; and  only  such  boys  as  obtained  full  marks  for 
their  lessons  were  allowed  to  have  them.  In  this  way, 
instead  of  the  "library"  being  a  cause  of  idleness,  as 
some  of  the  guardians  predicted  when  they  heard  of 
its  presentation,  it  was  an  incentive  to  work.  Cer- 
tainly its  perusal  filled  the  minds  of  most  of  the  boys 
with  an  intense  lono^ino-  to  o'o  to  sea,  but  as  there  is 
always  a  demand  for  apprentices  for  the  Yarmouth 
and  Lowestoft  smacks,  the  guardians  did  not  disapprove 
of  this  bent  beino-  o-iven  to  their  wishes;  indeed,  as  no 
premium  had  to  be  paid  with  apprentices  to  smack- 
owners,  while  in  most  trades  a  premium  is  required,  a 
preference  was  given  to  the  sea  by  the  guardians. 

When  William  Gale  reached  the  age  of  fifteen,  and 
was  brought  before  the  board  to  choose  the  trade  to 
which  he  would  be  apprenticed,  he  at  once  said  that 
he  would  go  to  sea.  There  were  applications  from 
several  smack-masters  for  apprentices,  and  he,  with  the 
five  other  boys  brought  up  with  him,  were  all  of  one 
opinion  in  the  matter. 

"  Mind,  lads,"  the  chairman  said,  "  the  life  of  an 
apprentice  on  board  a  North  Sea  smack  is  a  hard  one. 
You  will  get  a  great  many  more  kicks  than  halfpence. 
It  will  be  no  use  grumbling  when  you  have  once  made 
your  choice.  It  is  a  rough  hard  life,  none  rougher  or 
harder.  When  you  have  served  your  time  it  will  be 
open  to  you  either  to  continue  as  smacksmen  or  to  ship 
as  seamen  in  sea-going  ships.      Sailors  who  hail  from 


THE   LAST  DAY.  37 

the  eastern  fishing  ports  are  always  regarded  as  amongst 
the  best  of  our  seamen.  Still  it  is  a  rough  life  and  a 
dano'erous  one;  the  hardest  life  on  shore  is  easy  in  com- 
parison.  There  is  time  to  change  your  minds  before 
you  sign;  when  you  have  done  so  it  will  be  too  late. 
Are  you  all  determined?" 

None  of  them  wavered.  Their  signatures  were  at- 
tached to  the  indentures,  and  they  w^ere  told  that  the 
porter  would  take  them  to  Yarmouth  on  the  following 
day.  William  Gale  obtained  leave  to  spend  his  last 
evening  at  the  porter's  lodge,  and  there  he  talked  very 
seriously  with  Mrs.  Dickson  over  his  future  prospects. 

"  I  know,"  he  said,  "  from  Dana's  book,  that  the  life 
is  a  very  rough  one,  but  that  will  not  matter.  A  sailor, 
when  he  has  been  four  years  at  sea,  can  pass  his  exa- 
mination as  a  mate,  and  I  mean  to  work  hard  and  pass 
as  soon  as  I  can.  I  don't  care  how  much  I  am  knocked 
about,  that's  nothing;  there's  a  good  chance  of  getting 
on  in  the  end." 

"You  will  meet  a  great  many  bad  boys.  Bill;  don't 
you  let  them  lead  you  into  their  w^ays." 

"  Don't  be  afraid  of  that,"  he  answered,  "  I  w^on't  do 
anything  I  should  be  ashamed  of  afterwards.  You 
have  taught  me  better." 

"  I  suppose  the  guardians  gave  j^ou  a  Bible  to-day ; 
they  always  do  when  boys  goes  out." 

Will  nodded. 

"  Be  sure  you  read  it  often,  my  boy.  You  read  that 
and  stick  to  it,  and  you  w^on't  go  far  wrong.    You  know 


38  A  PROMISE. 

what  the  parson  said  last  Sunday,  '  No  one  is  strong 
in  himself,  but  God  gives  strength.'" 

"I  remember,"  Will  said.  "I  made  up  my  mind 
then  that  I'd  bear  it  in  mind  and  act  upon  it  when  I 
could.  I  think  the  thought  of  God,  and  the  thought 
that  I  may  meet  my  parents,  and  they  must  not  be 
ashamed  of  me,  will  help  me  to  be  honest  and  firm." 

"  I  hope,  Bill,  you  will  come  sometimes  and  see  me 
when  you  are  ashore." 

"  I  shall  be  sure  to  do  that  when  I  can,"  he  answered. 
''But,  of  course,  I  shall  have  no  money  at  first;  and  it 
may  be  a  long  time  before  I  can  pay  my  railway  fare 
here;  but  you  may  be  sure  I  will  come.  Whoever  may 
be  my  real  mother,  you  are  the  only  mother  I  ever 
knew,  and  no  mother  could  have  been  kinder.  AVhen 
I  grow  to  be  a  man,  and  go  to  sea  in  big  ships,  I  will 
bring  you  all  sorts  of  pretty  things  from  abroad;  and 
if  ever  you  should  want  it,  you  may  be  sure  that  my 
wages  will  be  quite  as  much  yours  as  if  I  had  been 
really  your  son!" 

Sam  Dickson  gave  a  snort.  It  was  very  good  of  the 
boy,  but  he  considered  it  his  duty  to  snub  him  in  order 
to  counteract  what  he  considered  to  be  the  pernicious 
counsels  and  treatment  of  his  wife. 

"  Fine  talk,"  he  said,  "  fine  talk.     W^e  shall  see." 

"  You  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  yourself,  Sam  Dick- 
son," his  wife  said  wrathfully.  "  The  boy  means  what 
he  says,  and  I  believe  him.  If  anything  was  to  happen 
to  you,  and    that  boy  was  growed-up,  I   believe  he 


WILL   STARTS    IN    LIFE..  oy 

would  come  forward  to  lend  me  a  helping  hand,  just 
as  he  says,  as  if  he  were  my  son.  The  gals  is  good 
gals,  but  gals  in  service  have  plenty  to  do  with  their 
wages,  what  with  dress  and  one  thing  or  another;  we 
must  never  look  for  much  help  from  them;  but  if  Bill 
is  doing  well,  and  I  ever  come  to  want,  I  believe  as  his 
heart  would  be  good  to  help  a  bit." 

"  Well,"  the  porter  said  dryly,  "  there's  time  enough 
to  see  about  it  yet.  I  ain't  dead,  you  ain't  a  pauper, 
and  he  ain't  a  man,  not  by  a  long  way." 

"  Well,  you  needn't  go  to  be  short-tempered  over  it, 
Sam.  The  boy  says  as  he'll  be  as  good  as  a  son  to  me 
if  the  time  ever  comes  as  how  I  may  want  it.  There 
is  no  call  for  you  to  fly  out  as  if  he'd  said  as  he'd 
poison  me  if  he'd  the  chance.  Anyhow,  you'll  write 
to  me  regular,  won't  you.  Bill?" 

"  That  I  will,"  the  boy  said.  "  Every  time  I  gets 
back  to  port  I'll  write;  and  you'll  write  sometimes, 
won't  you?  and  tell  me  how  you  are,  and  how  every 
one  is,  schoolmaster  and  all.  They  have  all  been  very 
kind  to  me,  and  I  have  nothing  to  say  against  any  of 
them." 

The  next  morning  William  Gale  laid  aside  for  ever 
his  workhouse  dress,  and  put  on  a  suit  of  rough  blue 
cloth,  fitted  for  his  future  work.  Then,  bidding  adieu 
to  all  his  friends,  he,  with  his  five  fellow-apprentices, 
started  by  rail  under  charge  of  Sam  Dickson  for  Yar- 
mouth. The  journey  itself  was  to  them  a  most  excit- 
ing event.     They  had  in  all  their  remembrance  never 


40  AT  YARMOUTH. 

been  a  mile  from  the  workhouse,  and  the  swift  motion 
of  the  train,  the  changing  scenery,  the  villages  and 
stations,  were  a  source  of  immense  interest.  As  they 
neared  Yarmouth  their  excitement  increased,  for  now 
they  were  nearing  the  sea,  of  which  they  had  read  so 
much,  but  could  form  so  little  idea.  They  were  dis- 
appointed, however,  inasmuch  as  no  glimpse  was 
obtained  of  it  as  they  crossed  the  flat  country  leading 
to  the  town;  but,  failing  the  sea,  Yarmouth  itself — 
the  town  which  was  henceforth  to  be  their  head- 
quarters —  was  in  the  highest  degree  interesting. 
Presently  the  train  reached  the  station,  and  then  Sam 
Dickson,  who  had  made  many  annual  journeys  to  Yar- 
mouth on  the  same  errand,  at  once  started  off"  with 
them  to  the  smack-owners  who  had  written  to  the 
workhouse.  These  lived  at  Gorleston,  a  large  village 
on  the  south  side  of  the  river.  Walking  down  from 
the  station,  the  boys  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  river,  and 
were  delighted  at  the  sight  of  the  long  line  of  smacks 
and  coasters  lying  by  the  wharves  opposite. 

Presently  they  left  the  road  and  made  their  way 
down  to  the  river  side.  Their  guardian  had  great 
difficulty  in  getting  them  along,  so  interested  were  they 
in  the  smacks  lying  alongside.  Presently  they  stopped 
at  a  large  wooden  building,  over  w^hich  was  the  name 
of  "  James  Eastrey." 

"  Here  we  are,"  Sam  Dickson  said.  "  Now  stop 
quietly  outside,  I  will  call  three  of  you  up  when  I  have 
spoken  to  Mr.  Eastrey." 


will's  master.  41 

Presently  the  porter  re-appearecl  at  the  door,  and 
called  three  of  the  boys  in.  William  Gale  was  one  of 
the  number,  James  Eastrey  being  the  name  of  the 
owner  to  whom  he  had  signed  his  indentures.  A  smell 
of  tar  pervaded  the  whole  place.  Nets,  sails,  and 
cordage  were  piled  in  great  heaps  in  the  store;  iron 
bolts  and  buckets,  iron  heads  for  trawls,  and  ships 
stores  of  all  kinds. 

Mr.  Eastrey  came  out  from  a  little  wooden  office. 

"  So,"  he  said,  "  you  are  the  three  lads  who  are  going 
to  be  my  apprentices.  Well,  boys,  it  is  a  rough  life; 
but  if  you  take  the  ups  and  downs  as  they  come,  it  is 
not  a  bad  one.  I  always  tell  my  captains  to  be  kind 
to  the  boys;  but  when  they  are  at  sea  they  do  not 
always  act  as  I  wish  them.  When  you  are  on  shore, 
between  the  voyages,  I  give  you  eight  shillings  a  week 
to  keep  yourselves,  or  I  put  you  in  the  Smack-boys' 
Home  and  pay  for  you  there.  The  last  is  the  best  place 
for  you,  but  some  boys  prefer  to  go  their  own  way. 
I  suppose  you  are  all  anxious  to  go  to  sea — boys  always 
are  for  the  first  time.  One  of  my  boats  is  going  out 
to-morrow.  You,"  he  said,  pointing  to  William  Gale, 
"  shall  go  in  her.     What  is  your  name?" 

"  William  Gale,  sir." 

"  Very  well,  William  Gale,  then  you  shall  be  off  first. 
The  others  will  only  have  a  day  or  two  to  wait.  I  can 
only  send  one  new  hand  in  each  smack.  The  others 
will  go  to  the  Home  till  the  smacks  are  ready.  I  will 
send  a  man  with  them  at  once.     They  can  have  a  day 


42  SCATTERED. 

to  run  about  the  town;  I  shall  find  plenty  of  work  for 
them  afterwards.  You,  Gale,  will  stop  on  the  smack. 
I  will  take  you  on  board  in  half-an-hour  when  I  have 
finished  my  letter." 

The  three  lads  said  good-bye  to  their  comrades  and 
to  Sam  Dickson.  A  sailor  was  called  up  and  took  two 
off  to  the  Smack-boys'  Home,  and  Will  Gale  sat  down 
on  a  coil  of  rope  to  wait  till  his  employer  was  ready  to 
take  him  down  to  the  craft  to  which  he  was  henceforth 
to  belono-. 


CHAPTER   III. 


LIFE    ON   A   SMACK. 


OW  come  along,  Gale,"  Mr.  Eastrey  said  at 
last,  "  the  Kitty  is  close  by." 

Following  his  master  the  lad  went  out 
from  the  store,  and  along  the  wharf,  and  presently 
stepped  upon  a  smack  on  which  several  men  and  a  boy 
were  at  w^ork. 

"  Harvey,"  Mr.  Eastrey  said,  "  I  have  brought  you  a 
new  lad.  He  will  sail  wath  you  to-morrow.  I  have 
a  very  good  account  of  him,  and  I  think  you  will  find 
him  quick  and  ready." 

"  So  as  he's  not  up  to  tricks  I  shall  do  very  well  with 
him,  I  don't  doubt,"  the  skipper  said ;  "  but  boys  are  an 
awful  trouble  the  first  voyage  or  two.  However,  I  will 
do  my  best  for  him.  Are  you  ready  to  begin  work  at 
once,  young  'un?  what  is  your  name?" 

"  William  Gale,  and  I  am  quite  ready." 

"  Very  well.  Bill,  chuck  off  your  jacket  then,  and  pass 
those  bao^s  alono-  from  the  wharf." 

The  boy  was  soon  hard  at  work.  He  was  a  little 
disappointed  at  finding  that  the  skipper  was  in  dress 


44  TAKING   IN   STORES. 

and  manner  in  no  way  superior  to  the  rest  of  the  crew. 
The  Kitty  was  a  yawl  of  forty-five  tons,  deep  in  the 
water  and  broad  in  the  beam.  Her  deck  was  dirty 
and  at  present  in  disorder,  and  she  did  not  come  np  to 
the  perfection  of  neatness  and  cleanliness  which  William 
Gale  had  read  of  in  the  pages  of  his  favourite  author. 
However,  as  he  told  himself,  there  must  of  course  be  a 
good  deal  of  difference  between  a  man-of-war,  where 
the  crew  have  little  to  do  but  to  keep  things  neat  and 
bright,  and  a  fishing-smack.  The  work  upon  which  he 
was  at  present  engaged  was  the  transferring  of  the 
provisions  for  the  voyage  from  the  quay  to  the  hold. 
These  consisted  principally  of  barrels  of  salt  meat  and 
bags  of  biscuits,  but  there  were  a  large  tin  of  tea,  a 
keo^  of  suo'ar,  a  small  barrel  of  molasses — or  treacle — 
two  or  three  sacks  of  potatoes,  pepper  and  salt.  Then 
there  was  a  barrel  of  oil  for  the  lamps,  coils  of  spare 
rope  of  different  sizes,  and  a  number  of  articles  of 
whose  use  William  Gale  had  not  the  most  remote  idea. 

After  two  hours'  work  the  skipper  looked  at  his 
watch.  "Time  to  knock  off*  work,"  he  said,  "and  we've 
got  pretty  near  everything  on  board.  Now  be  sure 
you  are  all  here  by  six  in  the  morning.  Tide  will 
begin  to  run  out  at  eight,  and  I  don't  want  to  lose  any 
of  it.  Bill,  you  are  to  come  home  with  me  for  the 
night." 

It  was  but  a  hundred  yards  to  the  sailor's  cottage, 
which  stood  on  the  edge  of  the  sharp  rise  a  short  dis- 
tance back  from  the  river. 


A   SNUG  HOME.  45 

"Here,  wife,"  he  said  as  he  entered,  "I've  got  a  new 
apprentice,  and  I  expect  he's  pretty  hungry;  I  am,  I 
can  tell  you,  and  I  hope  tea's  ready.  His  name's  Bill, 
and  he's  going  to  stop  here  to-night." 

"Tea  is  quite  ready,  John,  and  there's  plenty  of 
mackerel.  I  thought  you  would  not  be  getting  them 
again  for  a  spell.    Do  you  like  fish  ?"  she  asked  the  boy. 

"  I  don't  know,  ma'am — I  never  tasted  them." 

"Bless  me!"  the  woman  cried  in  astonishment;  "never 
tasted  fish!     To  think  now!" 

"I've  been  brought  up  in  a  workhouse,"  William 
said,  colouring  a  little  as  he  spoke,  for  he  knew  the 
prejudice  against  the  House. 

"Ah!"  she  said,  "we  have  had  a  good  many  of  that  sort, 
and  I  can't  say  as  I  likes  'em  for  the  most  part.  But 
you  haven't  got  the  look  about  you.  You  don^t  seem 
that  sort." 

"  I  hope  I  shall  turn  out  none  the  worse  for  it,"  the 
boy  said ;  "  at  any  rate  I'll  do  my  best." 

"And  none  can't  do  more,"  the  good  woman  said 
briskly.  "  I  like  your  looks.  Bill,  and  you've  a  nice 
way  of  talking;  well,  we  shall  see." 

In  a  few  minutes  tea  was  upon  the  table,  and  Will  sat 
down  with  the  skipper,  his  wife,  and  two  daughters, 
girls  of  ten  and  twelve.  The  lad  enjoyed  his  meal  im- 
mensely, and  did  full  justice  to  the  fish. 

"You  will  have  plenty  of  them  before  you  eat  your 
next  tea  on  shore.  We  pretty  nigh  live  on  them  when 
we  are  on  the  fishino-  oTounds." 


46  THE  skipper's  wife. 

"The  same  kind  of  fish  as  this?" 

"  No,  mackerel  are  caught  in  small  boats  with  a  dif- 
ferent sort  of  gear  altogether.  We  get  them  sometimes 
in  the  trawl,  not  shoals  of  'em,  but  single  fish,  which 
we  call  horse-mackerel." 

After  tea  the  skipper  lit  his  pipe,  and  his  wife,  after 
clearing  up,  took  some  knitting  and  sat  down  and 
began  to  question  the  new  apprentice. 

"  It's  lucky  for  you,  you  found  such  a  good  friend," 
she  said  when  he  had  finished  his  story.  "  That's  how 
it  is  you  are  so  difierent  from  other  boys  who  have 
been  apprenticed  from  the  House.  I  should  never 
have  thought  you  had  come  from  there.  And  she  gave 
you  good  advice  as  to  how  you  should  go  on,  I'll  be 
bound." 

"Yes,  ma'am,"  Will  said,  "and  I  hope  I  shall  act 
up  to  it." 

"I  hope  so.  Bill;  but  you'll  find  it  hard  work  to 
keep  yourself  as  you  should  do  among  them  boys. 
They  are  an  awful  lot,  them  smack-boys." 

"  Not  worse  nor  other  boys,"  her  husband  said. 

"Not  worse  than  might  be  looked  for,  John,  but 
they  are  most  of  'em  pretty  bad.  The  language  they 
use  make  my  blood  run  cold  often.  They  seems  to 
take  a  delight  in  it.  The  hands  are  bad  enough,  but 
the  boys  are  dreadful.  I  suppose  j^ou  don't  swear, 
Will;  they  look  too  sharp  after  you  in  the  House;  but 
if  you  take  my  advice,  boy,  don't  you  ever  get  into  the 
way  of  bad  language.     If  3^ou  once  begin,  it  will  grow 


BEWARE   OF   DRINK.  47 

on  you.  There  ain't  no  use  in  it,  and  it's  awful  to 
hear  it."' 

"  I  will  try  not  to  do  so,'"'  Yv  ill  said  firmly.  "  Mother 
— I  always  call  her  mother — told  me  how  bad  it  was, 
and  I  said  I'd  try." 

"  That's  right,  Will,  you  stick  to  that,  and  make  up 
your  mind  to  keep  from  liquor,  and  you'll  do." 

"What's  the  use  of  talking  that  way?"  the  skipper 
said.     "  The  boy's  sure  to  do  it.     They  all  do." 

"Not  all,  John;  there's  some  teetotalers  in  the 
fleet." 

"I  won't  say  I'll  never  touch  it,"  Will  said,  "for  I 
don't  know  yet  how  I  may  want  it;  they  say  when 
you  are  cold  and  wet  through  at  sea  it  is  really  good; 
but  I  have  made  up  my  mind  I'll  never  drink  for  the 
sake  of  drinking.  Half  the  men — ay,  nineteen  out  of 
twenty  in  the  House — would  never  have  been  there, 
I've  heard  mother  say,  if  it  hadn't  been  for  drink ;  and 
I  told  her  she  need  never  fear  I'd  take  to  that." 

"  If  you  can  do  without  it  on  shore,  you  can  do  with- 
out it  at  sea,"  the  skipper  said.  "  I  take  it  when  I'm 
on  shore,  but  there's  not  a  drop  goes  out  on  the  Kitty. 
Some  boats-  carries  spirits,  some  don't.  We  don't.  The 
old  man  puts  chocolate  on  board  instead,  and  of  a  wet 
night  a  drink  of  hot  chocolate's  worth  all  the  rum  in 
the  world.  As  for  giving  it  up  altogether,  I  see  no 
call  for  it.  There  are  men  who  can't  touch  liquor  but 
they  must  go  on  till  they  get  drunk.  That  sort  ought 
to  swear  off  and  never  touch  it  at  all.     It's  worse  than 


48  will's  resolutiois 

poison  to  some.  But  for  a  man  who  is  content  with 
his  pint  of  beer  with  his  dinner,  and  a  glass  of  grog  of 
an  evenino'  I  see  no  harm  in  it." 

"  Except  that  the  money  might  be  better  spent, 
John." 

"  It  might  be,  or  it  might  not.  In  my  case  the  saving- 
would  be  of  no  account.  The  beer  costs  threepence, 
and  the  rum  as  much  more.  That's  sixpence  a  day. 
I'm  only  at  home  ten  days  once  every  two  months,  so 
it  come  to  thirty  shillings  a  year,  and  I  enjoy  my 
dinner  and  my  evening  pipe  all  the  better  for  them." 

"  The  thing  is  this.  Will,  you  don't  know,  when  you 
begin,  whether  you  are  going  to  be  one  of  the  men 
who,  like  my  John,  is  content  with  his  pint  of  beer 
and  his  glass  of  grog,  or  whether  you  will  be  one  of 
them  as  can't  touch  liquor  without  wanting  to  make 
beasts  of  themselves.  Therefore  the  safest  plan  is, 
don't  touch  it  at  all — leastways  till  you've  served  your 
time.  The  others  may  laugh  at  you  at  first,  but  they 
won't  like  you  any  the  worse  for  it." 

"  Thank  you,  ma'am.  I  will  make  up  my  mind  to 
that — not  to  touch  liquor  till  I  am  out  of  my  appren- 
ticeship.    After  that,  I  can  see  for  myself." 

"  That's  right,  lad.  When  you  come  back  from  your 
first  trip,  you  can  join  the  lodge  if  you  like.  I  and 
my  girls  are  members." 

"Thank  you,  ma'am,"  Will  said;  "but  I  won't  take 
any  pledge.  I  have  said  I  will  not  do  it,  and  I  don't 
see  any  use  in  taking  an  oath  about  it.     If  I  am  so 


A   PRESENT.  49 

weak  as  to  break  my  word,  I  should  break  my  oath. 
I  don't  know  why  I  shouldn't  be  able  to  trust  myself 
to  do  as  I  am  willed,  in  that  way  as  in  any  other.  If 
I'd  a  craving  after  it,  it  might  be  different;  but  I 
never  have  tasted  it,  and  don't  want  to  taste  it;  so  I 
don't  see  why  I  can't  trust  myself." 

"Yes,  I  think  as  how  you  can  trust  yourself,  Will," 
the  woman  said,  looking  at  him;  "and  I've  noticed 
often  that  it  isn't  them  who  say  most  as  do  most.  Now, 
I  daresay,  you  are  sleepy.  There's  my  boy's  bed  for 
you.     He  is  fourth  hand  in  one  of  the  smacks  at  sea." 

The  next  morning  Will  was  out  of  bed  the  instant 
he  was  called,  excited  at  the  thought  that  he  was 
going  really  to  sea.  The  skipper's  wife  had  tea  made 
and  the  table  laid. 

"  Here,"  she  said,  "  are  some  oilskin  suits  my  boy  has 
given  up.  They  will  suit  you  well  enough  for  size; 
and  although  they  are  not  as  good  as  they  were,  they 
will  keep  out  a  good  deal  of  water  yet.  You  will  get 
half-a-crown  a  week  while  you  are  at  sea,  so  by  the 
time  you  get  back  you  will  have  enough  to  buy  your- 
self a  fresh  suit." 

Half  an  hour  later  Will  was  at  work  getting  two 
spare  sails  and  the  last  of  the  stores  on  board. 

"  Now,  Bill,  come  below,"  the  skipper  said.  "  I  will 
show  you  your  bunk." 

The  cabin  was  larger  than  Will  had  expected.  It 
was  about  twelve  feet  square,  and  lofty  enough  for  a 
tall  man  to  stand  upright.     By  the  side  of  the  com- 

(274)  "  D  ' 


50  THE    "KITTY." 

panion  stairs  was  a  grate,  on  which  a  kettle  was  boil- 
ing; and  this,  as  he  afterwards  learned,  was  a  fixture, 
except  when  cooking  was  going  on,  and  the  men  could 
have  tea  whenever  they  chose.  Round  three  sides  of 
the  cabin  extended  lockers,  the  tops  forming  seats. 
Above  were  what  looked  like  cupboards  running  round 
the  sides,  but  the  skipper  pushed  open  a  sliding  door 
and  showed  a  bed-place. 

''  That  is  your  bunk,"  he  said.  "  You  see  there  are 
two  at  the  end,  and  one  each  side,  above,  and  as  many 
under  them — eio-ht  bunks  in  all.  You  will  have  to 
help  Jack,  that  is  the  other  boy,  in  cooking,  and  make 
yourself  useful  generally  in  the  day.  The  crew  are 
divided  into  two  watches,  but  you  will  not  have  much 
to  do  on  deck.  If  the  night  is  clear  you  can  sleep, 
except  when  the  trawl  is  being  got  up.  Of  a  thick  or 
stormy  night  you  will  keep  your  watch.  Now,  as  the 
other  lad  is  more  handy  on  deck  than  you  are,  you  can 
take  charge  here.  All  you  have  to  do  is  to  see  that 
the  kettle  is  kept  boiling.  You  can  come  on  deck  and 
lend  a  hand  if  wanted,  but  you  must  come  down  some- 
times and  see  the  fire  is  all  right." 

After  inspecting  the  contents  of  the  kettle,  and  see- 
ing that  it  was  full.  Will  climbed  up  the  steep  ladder 
again,  and  was  soon  working  away  coiling  down  the 
ropes  with  the  other  lad,  while  the  crew  hoisted  sails 
and  got  the  boat  under  weigh. 

"  Are  there  only  two  hands  under  the  captain  ? "  he 
a'^kpd  the  other  I'ov. 


A   BAD   BEGINNING.  51 

"  There  are  two  others,"  the  boy  said.  "  They  will 
come  on  board  after  we  get  out  of  the  river,  and  you'll 
see  they  will  be  just  as  drunk  as  they  can  stand." 

"What,  drunk  at  this  time  in  the  morning?" 

"  Yes,  they  got  drunk  last  night,  and  as  they  won't 
have  fairly  slept  it  off  they  will  be  beginning  again 
this  morning.  The  old  man  will  look  them  up  and  get 
them  off." 

"  Who  is  the  old  man?" 

"  Old  Eastrey,  of  course,  stupid.  I  wish  they  were 
all  on  board.  There's  a  fine  breeze,  and  I  hate  wasting 
four  or  five  hours  o&  the  bar  waiting  for  the  hands  to 
come  off." 

"  I  wonder  the  old  man  stands  it,"  Will  said. 

"  He  can't  help  it,"  the  other  answered.  "  Scarce  a 
smack  goes  out  of  Yarmouth  without  half  the  hands 
being  drunk  when  she  starts.  They  don't  get  much 
chance  afterwards,  you  see,  and  they  sleep  it  off  by 
night,  so  it  don't  make  any  odds.  Our  skipper  is 
always  sober,  and  that's  more  than  many  of  them  are. 
I  have  gone  out  when  me  and  the  other  boy  were  the 
only  two  sober  on  board." 

"But  isn't  it  very  dangerous?" 

"  Dangerous!  no,"  the  boy  said;  "  one  of  them  is  sure 
to  be  sober  enouo^h  to  manaoje  to  stand  at  the  helm, 
and  though  I've  bumped  pretty  heavy  on  the  sands 
sometimes  we  generally  strike  the  channel.  There  is 
no  fear  of  anything  else.  We  never  start  if  a  gale  is 
blowing,  and  the  smacks  are  safe  in  anything  but  a 


52  AT   SEA. 

gale.  They  are  too  deep  to  capsize,  and  at  sea  there's 
no  more  drinking." 

The  smack  dropped  down  the  river,  and  stood  off 
and  on  near  its  entrance.  Will  was  delighted  with  the 
bright  sea,  dotted  with  ships  and  fishing-craft.  The 
sun  was  shining,  and  there  was  just  enough  wind  to 
send  the  smack  along  briskly  through  the  water 
without  raising  any  waves  sufficiently  high  to  give  her 
a  perceptible  motion.  At  eight  o'clock  the  captain 
went  on  shore  in  the  boat  with  a  man  to  look  after  the 
absent  sailors,  leaving  only  one  hand  and  the  two  boys 
on  board.     At  ten  the  boat  was  again  seen  coming  out. 

"  One,  two,  three,  four,"  the  boy  said,  "  he  has  got 
them  both.     Now  we  shall  be  off." 

The  boat  was  soon  alongside,  the  two  drunken  men 
were  helped  on  board,  and  at  once  went  below  to  sleep 
themselves  sober.  Then  the  boat  was  hoisted  on  board, 
and  the  second  hand  taking  the  helm,  the  Kitty  started 
fairly  on  her  way. 

"  Now,"  the  captain  said,  "  let  us  get  her  a  little  tidy." 

It  took  some  hours'  work  before  the  deck  was  washed, 
the  ropes  coiled  down,  and  everything  ship-shape.  By 
the  time  all  was  done  the  low  coast  of  Norfolk  had 
sunk  below  the  horizon,  and  the  smack  was  far  out  at 
sea.  There  was  more  motion  now,  but  the  wind  was 
still  light.  The  skipper  was  pleased  with  the  earnest- 
ness and  alacrity  which  the  new  apprentice  showed. 

''  Now,  Jack,"  he  said  to  the  other  boy,  "  take  Will 
below  with  you  and  show  him  how  to  make  tea." 


MAKING   TEA.  53 

The  process  of  tea-making  on  board  a  smack  is  not 
a  difficult  one  to  master;  the  sole  operation  consisting 
in  putting  a  few  more  spoonfuls  of  tea  into  the  kettle 
boiling  over  the  fire  when  it  begins  to  get  low,  and 
filling  up  with  fresh  water.  But  simple  as  the  thing 
was,  William  Gale  did  not  learn  it  on  that  occasion. 
He  had  been  feeling  somewhat  shaky  even  while  on 
deck,  and  the  heat  of  the  cabin  and  the  smell  of  some 
grease  which  Jack  had  just  put  in  the  frying-pan  pre- 
paratory to  cooking  some  fish  brought  off  from  shore, 
completed  the  effect  of  the  rising  sea.  Until  next 
morning  he  was  not  in  a  condition  to  care  even  had 
the  tea  remained  unmade  to  the  end  ol  time.  He  did 
not  go  below,  but  lay  under  the  shelter  of  a  tar- 
paulin on  deck.  In  the  morning  the  skipper  roused 
him  up. 

"  NoW;  lad,  just  take  off  your  coat  and  shirt;  here  is 
a  bucket  of  water,  put  your  head  in  that,  and  give  your- 
self a  good  sluice,  and  then  come  down  and  have  a  cup 
of  tea  and  a  bit  of  biscuit,  and  you  will  find  yourself 
all  rio'ht  again." 

Will  followed  the  instructions  and  found  himself 
wonderfully  better. 

"  Now,  lad,  lend  a  hand  in  tidying  up  on  deck;  there 
is  nothing  like  work  for  keeping  off  sea-sickness.  Jack 
shall  cook  for  to-day." 

The  boy  set  to  work  with  a  will,  and  felt  so  re- 
freshed that  by  one  o'clock  he  was  able  to  go  below 
and  take  his  share  of  the  dinner.     At  present,  while 


54  THE   FISHING    FLEET. 

on  their  way  to  the  fishing-grounds,  their  meals  were 
taken  at  the  same  time  as  on  shore;  but  once  at  work, 
there  were  only  two  meals  a  day:  of  these  the  first 
was  taken  when  the  fishing  was  over,  the  fish  cleaned, 
picked,  weighed,  and  packed — the  hour  varying  be- 
tween nine  and  eleven.  The  second  meal  was  taken 
before  the  trawl  was  lowered  at  six  or  seven  o'clock  in 
the  evening. 

After  five  days'  sailing  the  smack  arrived  off  the 
fishing-ground,  but  another  two  days  were  spent  in 
finding  the  fleet,  as  the  fishing-grounds  extend  over  a 
distance  of  some  hundreds  of  miles.  When  they  came 
up  with  it  William  Gale  was  astonished  at  the  vast 
number  of  boats  that  dotted  the  sea. 

In  the  Yarmouth  fleet  there  are  between  four  and 
five  hundred  vessels;  and,  were  it  not  that  the  most 
perfect  order  and  discipline  reign,  the  number  of  acci- 
dents which  would  occur,  from  so  many  boats  fishing 
close  to  each  other  at  night,  would  be  terrible.  The 
fleet  is  commanded  by  one  of  the  most  experienced 
skippers,  who  is  termed  the  admiral.  His  authority  is 
absolute:  he  leads  the  fleet  to  the  grounds  he  selects  for 
fishing,  and  by  signals  by  day  and  rockets  by  night 
issues  his  orders: — when  the  nets  are  to  be  lowered 
down  and  drawn  up,  the  course  which  is  to  be  steered, 
and  the  tack  on  which  they  are  to  stand. 

The  fishing  is  entirely  done  at  night.  The  trawls 
are  let  down  about  dusk,  and  the  fleet  attached  to 
these  moving  anchors  forge  slowly  ahead  and  to  leeward 


LIFE   ON    BOARD.  55 

until  daybreak.  Then  the  trawls  are  got  in  and  the 
fleet  sail  in  a  body  to  the  spot  where  the  admiral  de- 
cides that  fishino*  shall  be  continued  in  the  eveninor. 

o  o 

At  10  o'clock  at  night  the  trawls  are  hauled  in  and  the 
nets  emptied.  All  hands  are  called  up  for  this  opera- 
tion; when  it  is  concluded  the  trawl  is  again  lowered 
and  the  fish  cleaned  and  packed,  by  the  light  of  a  torch 
formed  of  rope  dipped  in  tar.  The  watch  who  have 
hitherto  been  on  deck,  turn  in,  and  the  others  remain 
on  deck  until  mornincr,  when  the  nets  are  ap:ain 
hauled  in. 

There  is  not,  indeed,  much  for  the  watch  to  do,  as 
the  smack  needs  no  steering,  and  the  attention  of  the 
men  on  deck  is  directed  chiefly  to  see  that  no  other 
smack  drifts  down  upon  them.  Should  there  appear 
any  danger  of  this,  a  flare  is  lit  to  warn  the  other 
smacksmen.  The  trawl  rope  is  slacked  out  or  hauled 
in  as  the  case  may  require,  and  generally  volleys  of 
strong  language  pass  between  the  respective  crews. 
The  trawd-beam  is  a  heavy  pole,  some  30  or  35  feet 
long;  at  each  end  are  fitted  strong  iron  hoops  of  about 
three  feet  in  diameter.  These  keep  the  pole  from 
touching  the  ground  and  keep  open  the  mouth  of  the 
net,  one  side  of  which  is  attached  to  the  pole  while  the 
other  drao's  alono-  the  bottom. 

The  net  resembles  in  shape  a  long  deep  purse,  and 
has  various  pockets  and  other  contrivances  by  which, 
when  a  fish  has  once  entered  its  mouth,  it  is  prevented 
from  returning. 


OQ  THE   CONTENTS    OF   THE   NET. 

The  trawl-rope,  which  is  from  40  to  80  yards  in 
length,  according  to  the  depth  of  water,  is  hauled  in 
by  means  of  a  winch,  and  its  great  weight  taxes  the 
united  strength  of  the  crew  to  get  it  level  with  the 
bulwark.  When  it  is  up,  the  net  is  hauled  on  board, 
the  small  end  is  opened,  and  the  fish  tumble  on  to  the 
deck;  they  are  then  separated  and  packed  in  trunks, 
as  the  wooden  cases  in  which  they  are  sent  to  market 
are  called.  Soles  fetch  by  far  the  highest  price,  and 
fortunate  are  the  crew  who  get  a  good  haul  of  this 
fish,  for  the  men  work  upon  shares,  an  account  being 
kept  of  all  the  sales  made  during  the  fishing  trip.  The 
owner  deducts  the  cost  of  the  provisions  and  stores 
which  have  been  put  on  board  and  takes  one  or  more 
shares  for  the  vessel.  Each  man  has  one  share,  the 
skipper  and  mate  receiving  rather  a  larger  proportion 
than  the  others;  thus  the  men  have  a  lively  interest 
in  each  haul,  and  great  is  the  satisfaction  when  the 
net  comes  up  well  filled,  and  there  is  seen  to  be  a  good 
proportion  of  soles  among  the  contents. 

The  coarse  fish,  as  they  are  called,  include  brill, 
haddock,  hake,  ling,  whiting,  and  many  others.  Turbot 
are  also  caught. 

In  each  haul  there  would  probably  be  a  vast  number 
of  objects  which  would  delight  the  heart  of  a  naturalist. 
Dog-fish,  too,  are  sometimes  taken,  as  are  conger-eels 
and  horse-mackerel;  stones  and  oysters  too  come  up 
in  the  nets,  and  the  latter  are  the  hetes-noirs  of  the 
fishing.     Sometimes  when  the  fleet  gets  over  a  bed  of 


A  smacksman's  fare.  57 

oysters  a  score  of  nets  will  be  lost  in  a  single  night; 
for  when  the  bag  becomes  full  of  oysters,  its  weight 
is  so  great  that  the  utmost  power  of  the  fishermen's 
exertions  on  the  winch  is  insufficient  to  lift  it  from  the 
bottom,  and  there  is  nothing  to  be  done  but  to  cut  the 
rope  and  abandon  trawl  and  net.  Upon  these  occasions 
the  language  applied  to  the  admiral  is  scarcely  of  a 
kind  for  polite  ears. 

The  food  of  the  crews,  when  once  upon  the  fishing- 
ground,  consists  almost  wholly  of  fish.  With  the 
exception  of  soles,  each  man  may  select  any  fish  he 
fancies  from  the  glistening  mass  upon  the  deck,  and 
the  amount  which  each  consumed  at  a  meal  at  first 
astonished  William  Gale,  accustomed  as  he  was  to 
meagre  workhouse  rations.  He  soon,  however,  found 
himself  able  to  keep  up  with  the  rest,  but  the  operation 
of  frying  seemed  sometimes  interminable,  so  many 
times  had  the  pan  to  be  filled  and  emptied. 

Hard  biscuits  were  eaten  with  the  fish,  and  the 
whole  washed  down  with  copious  draughts  of  tea  with- 
out milk.  Two  or  three  times  a  week  the  men  would, 
as  a  chancre,  have  a  meal  of  salt  meat;  and  on  Sun- 
days  a  dufi'  or  pudding  of  flour  and  currants  was 
made. 

A  few  days  after  joining  the  fleet  the  weather 
changed,  the  sky  became  gloomy  and  threatening.  The 
wind  blew  hard  and  a  heavy  sea  got  up.  Will  found 
that  keeping  watch  at  night,  which  was  pleasant 
enough  on  a  fine  star-light  night,  was  a  very  different 


58  WATCH    AT   SEA. 

thing  now.  It  was  no  joke  looking  ahead  with  the 
wind  blowing  fiercely  and  showers  of  spray  dashing 
into  the  eyes;  and  yet  a  vigilant  watch  must  be  kept, 
for  if  the  rockets  which  ordered  the  hauling  of  the 
trawl  were  not  noticed,  some  other  smack  moving 
rapidly  when  released  from  the  drag  of  its  net  might 
at  any  moment  come  into  collision  with  the  smack. 

Still  more  important  was  it  to  notice  upon  which 
side  the  trawl  was  to  be  lowered,  after  being  emptied, 
and  upon  which  tack  the  vessel  was  to  proceed.  For 
a  mistake  in  this  respect  would  be  certain  to  bring  the 
smack  across  another,  in  which  case  the  trawl-ropes 
would  become  entangled,  involving,  in  a  heavy  sea,  the 
certain  loss  of  one  or  the  other.  Many  of  the  smacks 
carry  dogs,  and  it  is  found  that  these  become  even 
better  watchers  than  their  masters;  for  they  can  be 
relied  on  to  call  the  attention  of  the  watch,  by  sharp 
barking,  to  the  letting  up  of  the  rocket,  however 
distant. 

A  rocket  may  seem  to  be  an  easy  thing  to  see,  but 
in  a  large  fleet  the  sternmost  smacks  may  be  three  or 
four  miles  away  from  the  leaders,  and  in  a  dark  thick 
night  it  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  make  out  even  a 
rocket  at  that  distance. 

The  wind  increased  to  a  gale;  the  trawls  were  up 
now,  and  the  fleet  lay-to.  It  may  be  explained  that 
this  operation  is  performed  by  bringing  a  ship  nearly 
into  the  eye  of  the  wind,  and  then  hauling  the  foresail 
across,  and  belaying  the  sheet.     The  aft  sail  or  mizen 


LAYING-TO. 


59 


is  then  hauled  tight,  and  the  tiller  lashed  amidships. 
As  the  fore-sail  pays  the  vessel  off  from  the  wind,  the 
after  sail  brings  her  up  again,  and  she  is  thus  kept 
nearly  head  to  sea,  and  the  crew  go  below  and  wait 
till  the  storm  abates. 


CHAPTER   IV. 


EUN   DOWN. 


^(^v^^^  iiILLIAM  GALE  was  astonished  at  the  fury 
^*^'|  of  the  tempest  and  the  wildness  of  the  sea. 
S]|  Although  at  the  workhouse  he  had  often 
heard  the  wind  roaring  round  the  walls,  there  was 
nothincr  to  show  him  the  force  that  was  beinor  exerted. 
There  were  but  few  trees  in  the  neio-hbourhood,  and 
William  had  hardly  ever  been  without  the  walls  except 
in  fine  summer  weather.  He  was,  therefore,  almost 
bewildered  by  the  force  and  fury  of  the  gale,  and  by 
the  noise  as  it  shrieked  throuo-h  the  rioforino-  and  howled 
across  the  water.  The  occasional  flapping  of  the  sails 
and  the  rattling  of  the  heavy  blocks  added  to  the  din, 
and  it  seemed  to  him  that  the  Kitty,  which,  like  all 
fishing-smacks,  was  very  deep  in  the  water,  must  be 
completely  engulfed  by  the  great  waves  which  swept 
down  upon  her. 

Several  times,  indeed,  he  was  obliged  to  leap  down 
into  the  cabin  to  avoid  being  swept  away  by  the  great 
masses  of  green  water  which,  pouring  over  her  bows, 
swept  aft,  carrying  away  all  before  them. 


FTNE  WEATHER.  61 

But  the  Yarmouth  smacks  are  admirable  sea  boats, 
and,  pounded  and  belaboured  as  she  was,  the  Kitty 
always  shook  off  the  water  that  smothered  her,  and 
rose  again  for  the  next  wave.  In  twenty-four  hours 
the  gale  abated,  the  scattered  fleet  were  assembled, 
each  flying  its  flag,  and  it  was  found  that  three  were 
missing,  having  either  foundered,  or  been  driven  away 
from  their  consorts. 

With  the  return  of  fine  weather  the  fishino^  be2:an 
again,  and  William  thoroughly  enjoyed  his  life.  The 
skipper  was  kind  and  forbearing;  he  neither  ill-treated 
the  boys  himself  nor  permitted  any  of  the  crew  to  do 
so,  and  everything  went  on  regularly  and  comfortably. 
There  were  a  few  books  on  board,  and  of  an  evening 
after  the  trawl  was  lowered,  and  before  the  watch 
below  turned  into  their  bunks,  William,  who  was  the 
best  reader  on  board,  would  be  asked  to  read  aloud  for 
an  hour.  Sometimes  there  were  songs,  and  as  the 
Kitty  was  fortunate,  and  her  taking  of  fish  good,  the 
men  were  all  cheerful  and  good-tempered. 

Once  every  three  or  four  days  the  collecting  steamer 
came  in  sight,  then  there  was  a  general  race  in  the 
fleet  to  put  the  trunks  of  flsh  on  board  her.  Each  did 
his  best  to  be  in  good  time,  for  when  the  catch  had 
been  heavy  the  steamer  was  sometimes  unable  to  take 
the  whole  of  it,  in  which  case  the  portion  left  behind 
would  be  wholly  spoilt  before  the  arrival  of  another 
steamer. 

The  whole  of  the  fleet,  therefore,  ran  down  towards 


62  THE   COLLECTING   STEAMER. 

the  steamer  as  soon  as  she  was  seen;  the  heavy  boats 
were  tossed  overboard,  and  the  trunks  lowered  into 
them,  and  two  hands  jumped  in  to  row  them  to  the 
steamer.  Round  her  a  swarm  of  boats  would  soon  be 
collected,  each  striving  to  get  alongside  to  deliver  the 
fish. 

In  calm  weather  the  scene  was  simply  amusing,  but 
when  the  sea  was  high  it  was  exciting  and  even 
dangerous;  indeed,  in  the  course  of  a  year  more  lives 
are  lost  in  the  process  of  taking  the  fish  from  the 
smack  to  the  steamer  than  in  vessels  foundered  by 
gales. 

Sometimes  the  fleet  will  be  joined  by  Dutch  trading- 
smacks,  who  exchange  fresh  bread  and  meat,  tobacco, 
and  spirits,  for  fish.  This  traffic  is  the  cause  alike  of 
loss  to  the  owners  by  the  fish  thus  parted  with,  and 
of  injury  to  the  men  by  the  use  of  spirits.  Fortunately 
the  skipper  of  the  Kitty,  although  not  averse  to  the 
use  of  spirits  on  shore,  was  a  strict  man  at  sea,  and 
saw  that  no  one  took  more  than  a  single  glass  of  grog 
of  an  evening. 

Over  and  over  aofain  Will  congratulated  himself 
that  he  had  the  good  fortune  to  make  his  first  voyage 
under  such  a  skipper,  for  he  shuddered  at  the  stories 
Jack  told  him  of  the  cruelties  and  barbarities  with 
which  apprentices  are  treated  on  board  some  of  the 
smacks.  Although,  however,  there  is  no  doubt  many 
brutal  skippers  hail  from  Yarmouth,  the  fleet  from 
that  town  bears  a  good  reputation  in  comparison  with 


A   COLLISION.  63 

that  of  Grimsby,  where  the  number  of  apprentices 
returned  as  drowned  each  year  is  appalling. 

One  night  when  the  wind  was  high  and  the  fleet  traw- 
ling lower  down  the  North  Sea  than  usual,  Will,  who 
was  on  deck,  was  startled  at  seeing  a  great  ship  bearing 
down  upon  the  smack.  He  gave  a  shout  of  terror  and 
warning,  which  was  joined  in  by  the  crew  on  deck. 
One  ran  for  the  hatchet  to  cut  the  trawl,  and  thus  give 
steerage- way  to  the  smack.  It  was  too  late;  in  another 
moment  the  great  ship  bore  down  upon  them  with  a 
crash,  and  the  Kitty  sunk  beneath  the  waves. 

The  bowsprit  of  the  vessel  projected  across  the  deck, 
just  at  the  point  where  William  Gale  was  standing; 
and  in  a  moment  he  caught  at  the  bob-stay,  and  quickly 
hauled  himself  on  to  the  bowsprit.  Climbing  along 
this  he  was  soon  on  board.  Two  or  three  sailors  were 
leaning  over  the  bows,  peering  into  the  darkness. 
They  had  not  seen  the  smack,  until  too  late  to  avoid 
it;  and  the  collision  which  had  proved  fatal  to  the 
Kitty  had  scarcely  been  felt  by  the  ship.  Will  was  at 
once  taken  to  the  captain,  who  spoke  English ;  the  boy 
implored  him  to  turn  back,  but  the  captain  shook  his 
head. 

"It  would  be  useless,"  he  said;  "the  sea  is  heavy, 
and  in  these  long  boots  " — and  he  pointed  to  the  sea- 
boots  up  to  the  thigh  which  all  fishermen  wear — "no 
man  could  swim  for  two  minutes,  nor  would  there  be 
a  chance,  if  they  could,  of  our  finding  them  on  so  dark 
a  night.     I  am  very  sorry,  my  lad,  but  it  cannot  be 


64  ON  BOARD  A  dutchma:n-. 

helped;  it  would  take  half-an-hour  to  bring  the  ship 
about  and  go  back  to  the  spot  where  the  smack  sunk, 
and  we  might  not  get  within  hal£-a-mile  of  it.  You 
know  that  as  well  as  I  do." 

Will  had  been  long  enough  at  sea  to  recognize  the 
truth  of  what  the  captain  said.  As  he  was  led  forward 
he  burst  into  tears  at  the  thought  of  the  loss  of  his 
kind  friend  the  captain,  and  the  rest  of  his  mates. 
The  sailor  who  accompanied  him  patted  him  on  the 
back,  and  spoke  cheeringly  to  him  in  a  foreign  language, 
and  he  was  soon  between  decks  with  the  crew.  Several 
of  these  could  speak  English,  and  Will  found  that  he 
was  on  board  a  Dutch  merchantman,  bound  with  troops 
for  Java.  The  wind  got  up,  and  in  the  morning  it 
was  blowing  a  heavy  gale  from  the  east,  and  the 
vessel  with  reefed  topsails  was  running  for  the  straits 
between  Dover  and  Calais  at  twelve  knots  an  hour. 
After  breakfast  the  captain  sent  for  William. 

"I  am  sorry,  for  your  sake,  that  the  state  of  the 
weather  will  prevent  our  communicating  with  any  ship 
we  may  meet.  But  I  promise  you  that  if  the  gale  breaks 
before  we  are  fairly  out  from  the  channel,  I  will  heave 
to  and  put  you  on  board  a  homeward-bound  ship." 

Such  a  chance  did  not  occur.  For  four  or  five  days 
the  gale  continued  with  great  severity,  and  before  it 
ceased  the  ship  was  well  down  the  coast  of  Spain  on 
her  way  south.  When  the  captain  saw  that  there  was 
but  small  chance  of  his  being  able  to  tranship  his 
involuntary  passenger,  he  said  to  him: 


SHIPPED  AS   A   HAND.  65 

"  Look  you,  my  lad.  I  fear  that  you  will  have  to 
make  the  voyage  with  me,  for  we  shall  not  touch  at 
any  port  until  we  arrive  at  our  destination.  If  you 
like,  I  will  ship  you  as  a  hand  on  board  as  from  the 
day  of  the  collision.  A  hand,  more  or  less,  will  make 
no  difference  to  the  owners,  and  the  money  will  be 
useful  to  you  when  you  leave  the  ship.  Of  course, 
you  can  return  in  her  if  you  think  fit;  but  it  is  likely 
enough  that  when  we  reach  Java,  we  may  be  sent  up 
to  China  for  a  homeward  cargo,  in  which  case  I  will 
procure  you  a  passage  in  the  first  ship  sailing  for  your 
home." 

Will  gladly  accepted  the  offer.  He  was,  however, 
by  no  means  penniless ;  for  upon  the  morning  after  his 
coming  on  board,  the  Dutch  ofiicers  and  passengers, 
hearing  what  had  happened  in  the  night,  made  a  col- 
lection among  themselves,  and  presented  the  boy  with 
a  purse  containing  fifteen  pounds. 

It  was  a  long  voyage,  but  not  an  unpleasant  one  foi 
William;  his  duties  were  not  very  heavy — he  had  far 
less  to  do  than  had  been  the  case  on  board  the  smack. 
A  month  on  board  the  Kitty  had  done  much  towards 
making  a  sailor  of  him,  for  there  are  no  better  seamen 
in  the  world  than  the  Yarmouth  smacksmen.  Going 
aloft  was  at  first  a  trial,  but  he  soon  learned  his  duties; 
and  being  a  strong  and  active  lad,  he  was  quickly  able  to 
do  efficient  work,  and  speedily  gained  the  good  opinion 
of  the  Dutch  sailors  by  his  good  temper  and  anxiety 
to  please. 

(274)  B 


65  A   NEW  FRIEND. 

They  ran  some  little  distance  to  the  south  of  the 
Cape  before  shaping  an  easterly  course,  to  avoid  the 
bad  weather  so  frequently  met  with  there;  and,  beyond 
encountering  two  or  three  gales  of  no  exceptional 
severity,  nothing  occurred  to  break  the  monotony  of 
the  voyage,  until  the  coasts  of  Java  were  in  sight. 
Upon  their  arrival  in  port  they  found  no  vessel  there 
about  to  sai]  for  Europe,  and  the  captain's  expectation 
was  fulfilled,  as  he  found  orders  awaiting  him  to 
proceed  to  China  when  he  had  landed  the  troops  and 
discharged  his  cargo.  Will  determined  to  continue  his 
voyage  in  her  to  that  place. 

Among  the  ship-boys  on  board  was  one  between 
whom  and  Will  Gale  a  great  friendship  had  been 
struck  up.  He  was  a  year  or  two  Will's  senior,  but 
scarcely  so  tall;  upon  the  other  hand  he  was  nearly 
twice  his  girth.  He  talked  but  little,  but  his  broad 
face  was  ever  alight  with  a  good-tempered  grin.  He 
spoke  a  few  words  of  English,  and  Will  had,  when 
first  picked  up,  been  given  specially  into  his  charge. 
Will's  superior  activity  and  energy  astonished  the 
Dutch  lad,"  whose  movements  were  slow  and  heavy; 
while  Will,  on  his  part,  was  surprised  at  the  strength 
which  Hans  could  exert  when  he  chose. 

One  day  v/hen  Will  had  been  plaguing  him,  and 
ventured  within  his  reach,  the  lad  had  seized  and  held 
him  out  at  arm's-length,  shaking  him  as  a  dog  would 
a  rat,  till  he  shouted  for  mercy. 

The  two  were  soon  able  to  get  on  in  a  queer  mixture 


A   STORM   BREWING.  67 

of  Dutch  and  English,  and  when  words  failed,  they 
would  eke  out  their  words  by  gestures.  The  vessel 
had  sailed  but  a  few  days  from  Java,  when  there  were 
signs  of  a  change  of  weather.  Hitherto  it  had  been 
lovely;  now  a  slight  mist  seemed  to  hang  over  the  sea, 
while  overhead  it  was  clear  and  brio-ht.  There  was 
not  a  breath  of  wind,  and  the  sails  hung  listlessly 
against  the  masts.  Will,  who  was  leaning  against  the 
bulwarks  chatting  to  Hans,  observed  the  captain,  after 
looking  round  at  the  horizon,  go  into  his  cabin;  he  re- 
appeared in  a  minute,  and  spoke  to  the  officer,  who 
immediately  shouted  an  order  for  "all  hands  to  shorten 
saU." 

"What  is  that  for?"  Will  said,  wonderingly;  "there 
is  not  a  breath  of  wind." 

"I  egzpect  captain  haz  looked  at  glass,"  Hans  said; 
"  find  him  fall;  I  egzpect  we  going  to  have  ztorm;  very 
bad  ztorms  in  dese  zeas." 

Will  ran  aloft  with  the  sailors,  and  in  ten  minutes 
every  inch  of  canvas,  with  the  exception  of  a  small 
stay-sail,  was  stript  from  the  ship ;  still  there  was  not 
a  breath  of  wind.  The  sea  was  as  smooth  as  glass, 
save  for  a  slight  ground-swell.  Although  the  mist  did 
not  seem  to  thicken,  a  strange  darkness  hung  over  the 
sky,  as  if  high  up  a  thick  fog  had  gathered.  Darker 
and  darker  it  grew,  until  there  was  little  more  than  a 
pale  twilight.  The  men  stood  in  twos  and  threes, 
watching  the  sea  and  sky,  and  talking  together  in  low 
tones. 


68  A  BIG   STORM. 

"I  don't  like  this,  Hans,"  Will  said.  "There  is 
something  awful  about  it.'' 

"We  have  big  ztorni,"  Hans  replied,  "  zyclone  they 
call  him." 

Scarcely  had  Hans  spoken  when  the  sky  above 
seemed  to  open  with  a  crash,  a  roar  of  thunder  louder 
than  ten  thousand  pieces  of  artillery  pealed  around 
them,  while  at  the  same  moment  a  blinding  flash  of 
lightning  struck  the  mainmast,  shivering  it  into  splin- 
ters, and  prostrating  to  the  deck  five  seamen  who  were 
standing  round  its  foot.  As  if  a  signal  had  been  given 
by  the  peal  of  thunder,  a  tremendous  blast  of  wind 
smote  the  vessel,  and,  stripped  though  she  was  of  sails, 
heaved  her  over  almost  to  the  gunwale. 

For  a  moment  the  crew  were  paralysed  by  the 
suddenness  of  the  catastrophe,  stunned  by  the  terrible 
thunder,  and  blinded  by  the  lightning.  None  seemed 
capable  of  moving.  Will  had  instinctively  covered  his 
eyes  with  his  hands — it  seemed  to  him  for  a  moment 
that  his  sight  was  gone.  Then  the  voice  of  the  cap- 
tain was  heard  shouting: 

"Helm  hard  up;  out  axes  and  cut  away  the  wreck 
at  once!" 

Those  who  were  least  stupefied  by  the  shock  sprang 
in  a  dazed  and  stupid  way  to  obey  the  order.  Will  drew 
out  his  knife,  and,  feeling  rather  than  seeing  what  he 
was  doing,  tried  to  assist  in  cutting  away  the  shrouds 
of  the  fallen  mast — it  had  gone  a  few  feet  above  the 
deck.     Presently  he  seemed,  as  he  worked,  to  recover 


A   NEAR   SQUEAK.  69 

from  his  stupor,  and  the  power  of  sight  came  back  to 
him.  Then  he  saw  that  the  vessel,  taken  on  the  broad- 
side by  the  gale,  was  lying  far  over,  with  several  feet 
of  her  lee  deck  under  water. 

So  furious  was  the  wind  that  he  could  not  show  his 
head  over  the  weather  bulwark.  The  sea  was  still 
smooth,  as  if  the  water  was  flattened  by  the  force  of 
the  wind.  The  stay-sail  had  been  blown  into  ribbons. 
In  order  to  get  the  ship's  head  off  the  wind  the  head 
of  the  jib  was  hauled  up  a  few  feet.  It  happened  to 
be  a  new  and  strong  one;  and,  although  it  bellied 
and  lashed  as  if  it  would  tear  itself  into  fragments, 
it  still  stood.  Again  the  captain  gave  an  order,  and 
the  sail  was  hauled  up  to  its  full  height.  Still  fur- 
ther the  vessel  heaved  over,  and  Will  expected  every 
moment  that  she  would  capsize;  then  gradually  her 
head  paid  off,  and  slowly  she  righted  and  flew  before 
the  gale. 

"  That  was  a  near  squeak,"  Will  said. 

"What  is  zqueak?"  Hans  shouted. 

"  I  mean  a  close  shave/'  Will  replied. 

Hans'  blue  eyes  opened  wider  than  usual. 

"A  zhave!"  he  repeated;  "what  are  you  talking 
about  zhaving?" 

"  No,  no,"  Will  said  laughing,  "  I  mean  a  narrow 
escape  of  being  capsized." 

Hans  nodded.  There  was  no  time  for  talk,  for 
orders  were  given  for  getting  preventor  stays  on  the 
foremast.     The  jib,  having  done  its  work,  had  been 


70  THE   CYCLONE. 

hauled  down  the  instant  the  ship  payed  off,  and  a 
small  storm-sail  set  in  its  place.  The  men  now  had 
time  to  attend  to  those  who  had  been  struck  by  light- 
ning: three  o£  them  were  found  to  be  dead,  but  the 
other  two,  who  were  stunned  and  senseless,  still  lived, 
and  were  lifted  and  carried  below. 

Serious  as  the  disaster  had  been.  Will  felt  that  the 
stroke  of  lightning  had  saved  the  ship.  The  pressure 
of  the  wind  upon  two  masts  and  hull  had  nearly  suf- 
ficed to  capsize  her;  had  the  main-mast  stood,  he  felt 
that  she  must  have  gone  over.  The  sea  got  up  in  a 
very  few  minutes,  but  being  now  only  in  light  ballast, 
the  vessel  rose  easily  over  them.  Four  men  were  at 
the  helm,  for  the  waves  soon  became  so  high  that  the 
ship  yawed  dangerously  on  her  course. 

The  gale  seemed  to  increase  rather  than  diminish  in 
fury,  and  the  sea,  instead  of  following  in  regular 
waves,  became  a  perfect  chaos  of  tossing  water,  such 
as  Will  had  never  before  seen.  He  understood  it, 
however,  when  half  an  hour  after  the  outburst  of  the 
gale,  he  heard  one  of  the  men,  who  had  just  been  re- 
lieved at  the  wheel,  say  that  in  that  time  the  ship  had 
already  run  twice  round  the  compass.  She  was  there- 
fore in  the  very  centre  of  the  cyclone,  and  the  strangely 
tossed  sea  was  accounted  for.  The  motion  of  the  ship 
was  extraordinary,  sometimes  she  was  thrown  on  one 
side,  sometimes  on  the  other.  Mountains  of  water 
seemed  to  rise  suddenly  beside  her,  and  tumbled  in 
great  green  masses  over  the  bulwarks.     So  wild  and 


THE   MIZEN    CUT   AWAY.  71 

sudden  were  her  movements,  that  even  the  oldest 
sailors  were  unable  to  keep  their  feet,  and  all  clung  on 
to  shrouds  or  belaying-pins. 

Will  and  Hans  had  lashed  themselves  by  the  slack 
of  a  rope  to  the  bulwarks  close  to  each  other,  and 
there  clung  on;  sometimes  half  drowned  by  the  waves 
which  poured  in  above  them,  sometimes  torn  from 
their  feet  by  the  rush  of  green  water  as  the  ship 
plunged  head-foremost  into  a  wave  or  shipped  one 
over  her  poop. 

-Presently  there  was  a  crash  that  sounded  even  above 
the  fury  of  the  gale — the  fore  topmast  had  gone  at  the 
cap.  The  axes  were  again  called  into  requisition,  for 
a  blow  from  the  floating  spar  would  have  instantly 
stove  in  the  side.  While  engaged  upon  this  the  cap- 
tain called  two  of  the  men  with  axes  aft.  These  were 
set  to  work  to  chop  through  the  shrouds  of  the  mizen, 
and  in  a  minute  later  the  mast  snapped  asunder  on 
the  level  of  the  deck  and  went  over  the  side  with  a 
crash,  carrying  away  several  feet  of  the  bulwark. 

This  act  was  necessitated  by  the  loss  of  the  fore- 
topmast,  as  the  pressure  of  the  wind  upon  the  mizen 
would  have  brought  her  head  up  and  laid  her  broad- 
side to  the  gale. 

The  motion  of  the  vessel  was  now  considerably 
easier,  and  there  was  no  longer  any  difiiculty  in  keep- 
inof  her  dead  before  the  wind.  She  was  now  describ- 
ino'  much  larojer  circles  in  her  course,  showino^  that  she 
was  farther  removed  from  the  centre  of  the  cyclone. 


72  BREAKERS   AHEAD. 

After  five  or  six  hours  the  extreme  violence  of  the 
wind  somewhat  abated,  and  it  seemed  to  settle  down 
into  a  heavy  gale. 

For  two  days  the  vessel  ran  before  it.  She  had 
made  a  good  deal  of  water  from  the  opening  of  the 
seams  by  straining,  and  the  pumps  were  kept  going. 
They  were,  they  found,  able  to  prevent  the  water  from 
gaining  upon  them,  and  all  felt  that  they  should 
weather  the  tempest,  provided  that  they  were  not 
dashed  upon  any  of  the  islands  in  which  this  portion 
of  the  ocean  abounds. 

The  crew  had  had  no  regular  meals  since  the  gale 
began,  for  the  caboose  had  been  broken  up  and  washed 
overboard  soon  after  the  commencement  of  the  storm, 
and  they  had  been  obliged  to  be  content  with  biscuits; 
there  was  little  to  be  done  on  deck,  and  the  watch 
over,  they  passed  their  time  in  their  bunks. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day  of  the  tempest  the 
cry  was  raised  of  "Breakers  ahead!"  Will,  with  his 
comrades  of  the  watch  below,  sprang  from  their  berths 
and  hurried  on  deck. 

Far  ahead,  as  the  vessel  lifted  on  the  waves,  could 
be  seen  a  gleam  of  white  water.  In  anticipation  of 
such  a  danger,  a  small  spar  had  been  erected  upon  the 
stump  of  the  mizen  and  steadied  with  strong  stays. 
Sail  was  now  hoisted  upon  this,  and  an  effort  was  made 
to  bring  the  vessel's  head  to  wind.  Watching  for  a 
favourable  moment  between  the  passage  of  the  heavy 
seas,  the  helm  was  put  down  and   slowly  her  head 


THE   LAST   CHANCE.  73 

came  up  into  the  wind.  Under  such  sail  the  captain 
had  no  hope  of  being  able  to  reach  out  in  the  teeth  of 
the  gale ;  but  he  hoped  to  be  able  to  claw  off  the  shore 
until  clear  of  the  land  which  lay  to  leeward  of  him. 

That  hope  soon  vanished.  One  of  the  mates  was 
sent  to  the  top  of  the  foremast,  and  descended  with 
news  that  as  far  as  could  be  seen  the  line  of  breakers 
stretched  away,  both  on  her  beam  and  quarter.  As 
the  minutes  went  by  the  anxious  crew  could  see  but 
too  clearly  that  the  ship  was  drifting  down  upon  the 
land,  and  that  she  must  inevitably  be  wrecked  upon  it. 

The  outlines  of  the  shore  could  now  be  seen — a 
forest  of  tossing  trees,  behind  which  high  land  could 
be  made  out  through  the  drivino-  clouds.  Orders  were 
now  given  to  prepare  to  anchor;  but  all  knew  that  the 
chances  were  slight  indeed.  The  water  is,  for  the  most 
part,  deep  close  alongside  the  islands  of  the  Eastern 
Archipelago;  and  even  were  the  holding-ground  good, 
hemp  and  iron  would  hardly  hold  the  vessel  head  to 
the  gale  and  tremendous  sea. 

When  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  breakers  the 
man  with  the  lead  proclaimed  a  depth  of  ten  fathoms. 
This  was  better  than  they  had  expected.  The  jib  was 
lowered  and  her  head  brought  dead  to  wind.  The 
captain  shouted  "  cut,"  and  in  an  instant  the  stoppers 
were  severed  and  two  heavy  anchors  dropt  into  the 
sea.  One  had  a  heavy  chain-cable,  the  other  hemp,  and 
these  were  allowed  to  run  out  to  the  bits.  The  vessel 
brought  up  with  less  shock  than  could  be  expected. 


74  ON   THE   ROCKS. 

A  wave  or  two  passed  under  her  and  still  her  cable 
held. 

A  gleam  of  hope  began  to  reign,  when  a  mountainous 
sea  was  seen  approaching;  higher  and  higher  it  rose, 
and  just  as  it  reached  the  ship  it  curled  over  and 
crashed  down  upon  her  deck.  The  cables  snapped 
like  pack-thread,  and  a  cry  of  despair  arose  from  the 
crew.  The  captain  was  calm  and  collected,  and  shouted 
orders  for  the  jib  to  be  again  hoisted  and  the  helm  put 
up,  so  as  to  run  her  head-nrst  on  to  the  shore. 

As  they  neared  the  line  of  breakers  they  could 
see  heads  of  jagged  rocks  rising  among  them,  while 
beyond  a  belt  of  smooth  water,  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
wide,  extended  to  the  land.  The  ship's  head  was 
directed  towards  a  point  where  no  rocks  appeared 
above  the  surface.  Everyone  held  their  breath,  and 
clinging  to  the  bulwarks  awaited  the  shock. 

The  vessel  lifted  on  a  great  wave  just  as  she  came 
to  the  line  of  broken  water,  and  as  she  settled  down 
struck  with  a  tremendous  crash. 

So  great  was  the  shock  that  she  broke  in  two 
amidships  as  if  she  had  been  made  of  paper,  the  por- 
tion aft  going  instantly  to  pieces,  and  at  once  the  sea 
around  was  covered  with  fragments  of  wreck,  bales, 
boxes,  and  casks.  Another  oTeat  sea  followed,  fillinof 
the  now  open  ship,  forcing  up  the  deck,  and  sweeping 
everything  before  it. 

William  Gale  and  Hans  had  gone  as  far  forward  as 
possible.     "Come  out  to  the  end  of  the  bowsprit,"  Will 


CAST   ON    SHORE.  75 

said  to  Hans,  and  the  two  lads  crawled  out  to^-ether 
and  sat  on  the  end  of  the  spar. 

The  sea  beneath  them  was  white  as  milk  with  the 
foam  which  poured  over  the  reef,  but  AVill  thought 
that  they  were  beyond  the  rocks.  Every  sea  which 
struck  the  wreck  added  to  the  disaster,  until  a  larger 
one  than  usual  struck  it  and  broke  it  into  fragments. 
The  lads  clung  to  the  spar  as  it  fell;  it  sank  deep  in 
the  water,  but  they  retained  their  hold  until  it  came 
to  the  surface,  and  Will  looked  round.  They  were 
safely  beyond  the  edge  of  the  reef.  The  sea  was  still 
rough  and  broken,  but  it  was  quiet  compared  to  that 
beyond  the  reef.  He  saw  that  the  fore-mast  was 
floating  near,  and  to  it  several  were  clinging. 

In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the  spar  floated  to  land,  the 
boys  felt  the  bottom  with  their  feet,  and  soon  scram- 
bled ashore.  A  few  minutes  later  the  fore-mast  also 
drifted  up,  and  several  men  clinging  to  fragments  of 
the  wreck  were  also  cast  ashore.  In  all  eleven  men, 
including  the  first  mate,  were  saved. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE   CASTAWAYS. 

FTER  waiting  on  the  shore  until  all  hope 
that  any  more  of  their  shipmates  sur- 
vived was  at  an  end,  the  party,  by  the 
mate's  orders,  detached  a  sail  from  a  yard  that  had 
drifted  ashore,  and  carried  it  well  into  the  wood, 
where  they  were  sheltered  to  some  extent  from  the 
force  of  the  gale.  A  stout  pole  was  then  cut  and 
lashed  between  two  trees;  the  sail  was  thrown  over 
this  and  pegged  down  at  both  sides.  A  fire  was  lit 
with  some  difficulty;  then  a  quantity  of  ferns  and 
branches  of  trees  were  cut:  these  made  a  soft  and 
elastic  bed,  and  the  whole  party  slept  heavily  until 
the  morning.  Then  they  went  back  to  the  shore;  it 
was  littered  thickly  with  fragments  of  wreck,  casks, 
boxes,  and  other  articles:  here  too  were  nearly  a  score 
of  the  corpses  of  their  shipmates.  The  first  duty  was 
to  dig  a  long  shallow  trench  in  the  sand,  beyond  high- 
water  mark,  and  in  this  the  bodies  of  their  drowned 
comrades  were  laid. 

The  storm  w^as  now  breaking,  glimpses  of  blue  sky 


THE   CHANCES   OF   ESCAPE.  77 

were  visible  overhead,  and  the  wind  had  greatly  abated. 
The  sea  upon  the  reef  was,  however,  as  high  as  ever. 
Setting  to  work  they  hauled  a  large  number  of  boxes 
and  bales  beyond  the  reach  of  the  waves.  One  of  the 
casks  contained  biscuits,  and,  knocking  in  the  head, 
they  helped  themselves  to  its  contents,  and  sat  down 
to  talk  over  their  position. 

"  I  am  not  sure,"  the  mate  said,  "that  our  poor  com- 
rades there"  —  and  he  nodded  towards  the  grave — 
"have  not  the  best  of  it.  The  inhabitants  of  most  of 
these  islands  are  bloodthirsty  pirates,  who  if  they  find 
us  will  either  cut  our  throats  at  once  or  keep  us  as 
slaves.  Our  only  hope  is  that  we  may  not  be  discovered 
until  we  have  time  to  build  a  boat  in  which  to  sail 
away  to  Singapore  or  back  to  Java.  Had  we  been 
wrecked  further  south  things  would  have  been  more 
hopeful,  for  the  Papuans  are  friendly  and  inoffensive 
people.  These  islands  here  are  inhabited  by  Malays, 
the  most  bloodthirsty  pirates  in  the  world.  However, 
we  must  hope  that  we  may  not  be  found  before  we 
have  finished  a  boat.  My  chest  is  among  those  which 
have  been  washed  up,  and  there  are  a  few  tools  in  it. 
I  always  had  a  fancy  for  carpentry,  and  it's  hard  if  in 
a  fortnight  we  cannot  make  some  sort  of  craft  which 
will  carry  us.  Indeed,  if  we  content  ourselves  with  a 
strong  framework  covered  with  canvas  we  may  be 
ready  in  four  or  five  days." 

The  men  set  cheerfully  to  work  under  his  directions. 
In  his  chest  was  a  hatchet,  saw,  and  chisels.     With 


78  PROGRESS    OF   THE   BOAT. 

these,  young  trees  of  flexible  wood  were  cut  down  and 
split;  a  keel  was  laid  25  feet  in  length;  cross-pieces 
12  feet  long  were  pegged  to  this  by  trenails — nails 
formed  of  tough  and  hard  wood.  The  cross-pieces  were 
then  bent  upwards  and  fastened  to  the  strips  wdiich 
were  to  form  the  gunwale.  Strengthening  pieces  were 
placed  along  at  distances  of  7  or  8  inches  apart,  and 
firmly  lashed.  When  the  whole  was  finished  after  three 
days'  labour  the  framework  of  a  boat  25  feet  long, 
3  feet  deep,  and  7  feet  in  beam  stood  upon  the  beach. 
A  barrel  of  oil  had  been  thrown  ashore,  and  with  this 
the  mate  intended  thoroughly  to  soak  the  canvas  with 
which  the  frame  was  to  be  covered.  The  boat  would, 
he  calculated,  carry  the  whole  of  the  men  with  an 
ample  store  of  food  and  water  for  the  voyage. 

Upon  the  morning  of  the  fourth  day,  as  on  their 
way  to  work  they  emerged  from  the  wood  upon  the 
open  beach,  the  mate  gave  a  low  cry  and  pointed  along 
the  shore.  There,  between  the  reef  and  the  island,  was 
a  large  Malay  prahu.  The  party  instantly  fell  back 
among  the  trees.  The  Malays  were  apparently  cruis- 
ing along  the  reef  to  see  if  the  late  storm  had  thrown 
up  the  wreckage,  which  might  be  useful  to  them;  and 
a  loud  shout  proclaimed  their  satisfaction  as  they  saw 
the  shore  strewn  with  the  remains  of  the  Dutch  ship. 
The  prahu  was  rowed  to  the  shore,  and  fifty  or  sixty 
Malays  sprang  from  the  bows  on  to  the  sand. 

Scarcely  had  they  done  so  when  a  shout  from  one  of 
them  called  the  attention  of  the  others  to  the  frame- 


CHASED   BY   MALAYS.  79 

work  of  the  boat.  There  was  a  minute's  loud  and  ex- 
cited chatter  among  them.  Then  they  dashed  forward 
to  the  wood,  the  deep  footsteps  in  the  sand  showing 
plainly  enough  the  direction  from  which  the  builders 
of  the  boat  had  come  and  gone.  The  latter,  as  the 
Malay  boat  neared  the  shore,  had  retired  further  into 
the  wood,  but  from  the  screen  of  leaves  they  were 
able  to  see  what  was  going  on.  As  they  saw  the  Malays 
rush  in  an  excited  and  yelling  throng  towards  the 
wood,  the  little  party  took  to  their  heels. 

"  Scatter,"  the  mate  said;  ''together,  they  are  sure  to 
overtake  us;  singly,  we  may  escape." 

"Let  us  keep  together,  Hans,"  Will  said  as  they 
dashed  along  through  the  wild  jungle.  Torn  by  thorns, 
often  thrown  down  by  projecting  roots  and  low  creepers, 
they  kept  on,  their  pace  at  times  quickening  as  shouts 
and  screams  told  them  that  some  of  their  comrades 
had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  Malays.  Presently 
they  came  upon  the  little  stream  which  flowed  into 
the  sea  close  to  where  they  had  been  cast  ashore. 

"Let  us  follow  this  up,"  Will  said;  "they  can  track 
us  through  the  forest,  but  the  water  will  set  them  off 
our  scent." 

For  a  quarter  of  a  mile  they  followed  the  course  of 
the  stream,  stopping  breathlessly  many  times  as  they 
heard  voices  in  the  wood  not  far  off.  Presently  Will 
pointed  to  a  tree  rising  from  a  clump  of  bushes  close 
to  the  bank. 

"  Let  us  get  through  those  bushes,"  he  said;  "be  care- 


80  IN   THE  THICKET. 

ful,  Hans,  not  to  break  a  twig  as  you  go ;  we  can  climb 
that  tree ;  there  are  plants  with  stems  like  cords  wind- 
ing round  it.  The  top  is  so  thick  and  bushy  that  I 
don't  think  they  can  see  us  there." 

Yery  carefully  they  parted  the  bushes  that  overhung 
the  stream,  and  entered  the  thicket;  then  they  made 
their  way  with  great  difficulty  to  the  foot  of  the  tree. 
It  was  a  very  large  one,  with  a  trunk  fully  15  feet  in 
diameter,  rising  some  forty  feet  without  a  branch, 
then  a  number  of  great  arms  grew  out  at  right  angles; 
these  were  covered  thickly  with  parasitic  vegetation. 
Round  the  trunk,  like  a  snake  embracing  its  victim,  a 
great  climber  had  wound  itself;  its  main  stem  was 
as  thick  as  a  man's  arm,  and  there  were  dozens  of 
smaller  cord-like  climbers.  Thus  the  lads  had  no  diffi- 
culty in  climbing  to  the  point  where  the  branches  grew 
out.  Above  these  was  a  mass  of  foliage  completely 
covered  by  the  climbers,  whose  drooping  sprays  and 
clusters  gave  the  tree  the  appearance  of  a  solid  mass 
of  verdure.  The  boys  continued  to  climb  until  they 
were  nearly  at  the  top  of  the  tree. 

"There!"  Will  said,  wiping  away  the  perspiration 
which  streamed  from  his  face,  "if  they  do  not  track  us 
through  the  bushes  to  the  very  foot  of  this  tree,  I  defy 
them  to  find  us." 

For  some  hours  the  wood  was  alive  with  noises;  the 
Malays  were  evidently  beating  every  foot  of  it,  and 
were  determined  that  none  of  their  victims  should 
escape.     Several  times  parties  of  men   came   up  the 


A   SNUG   HIDING-PLACE.  81 

stream  searching  the  banks  on  both  sides;  but,  hap- 
pily, even  their  sharp  eyes  did  not  detect  the  spot 
where  the  boys  had  entered  the  bushes,  and  gradually 
the  noises  ceased,  and  at  night  a  great  glare  by  the  sea- 
shore told  the  lads  that  their  enemies  had  gathered 
again  there,  and  were  continuing  by  fire-light  the  work 
of  breaking  open  and  examining  the  treasures  which 
the  sea  had  cast  up  for  them. 

"  What  do  you  zay.  Will  ?  Zhall  we  get  down  and 
go  furder  into  wood,  or  zhall  we  wait  here?" 

"  I  think  anyhow  we  had  better  wait  till  to-morrow 
night,"  Will  answered.  "They  may  search  again  to- 
morrow, and  might  come  upon  our  tracks.  If  they 
don't  find  us  they  may  suppose  that  they  have  caught 
us  all,  or  that  we  have  escaped  right  into  the  interior. 
If  they  find  no  traces  of  us  they  will  likely  enough  set 
sail  before  night." 

There  was  no  difficulty  in  finding  a  place  in  which 
they  could  sleep,  for  the  cord-like  climbers  from  bough 
to  bough  formed  natural  cradles,  in  which  they  lay  as 
securely  as  if  in  a  hammock  on  board  a  ship.  In  the 
morning  they  were  woke  at  daybreak  by  the  cries  of 
the  many  birds  which  throng  the  forests  of  the  Eastern 
Archipelago.  No  one  approached  them  during  the 
day,  and  they  doubted  not  that  the  Malays  were  all 
hard  at  work  on  the  shore. 

That  night  there  was  no  reflection  of  a  fire  on  the 
beach.  In  the  morning  they  descended  from  their 
perches  and  made  their  way  carefully,  and  as  noise- 

(274)  F 


82  DEVASTATION. 

lessly  as  possible,  through  the  wood,  to  a  point  upon 
the  shore  a  mile  distant  from  the  point  where  they 
landed.  Going  to  the  edge  of  the  trees  they  were 
enabled  to  take  a  view  along  the  shore.  It  was  de- 
serted; the  Malay  prahu  was  gone. 

Confident  that  none  of  their  enemies  would  have 
remained  behind,  they  walked  boldly  along  the  shore 
to  the  spot  where  the  Malays  had  landed.  Every  box 
and  barrel  had  been  broken  open,  and  the  contents 
carried  away;  planks  and  beams  had  been  split  asunder 
to  obtain  the  copper  bolts  and  fastenings.  The  frame- 
work of  the  boat  had  been  destroyed,  and  every  por- 
tion of  canvas  and  rope  carried  away.  The  lads  sat 
down  on  the  shore. 

"What  shall  we  do  next,  Hans?" 

Hans  shook  his  head. 

"Perhaps  some  of  the  others  may  have  got  away 
and  may  join  us  here  to-day  or  to-morrow.  If  any  are 
alive  they  would  be  certain  to  come  back  here  when 
they  thought  the  Malays  had  left." 

Hans  grunted  an  assent. 

"  Anyhow,  the  first  thing  to  do,"  Will  went  on,  "  is 
to  gather  up  the  pieces  of  biscuits;  they  have  wasted 
lots  in  breaking  open  the  barrels,  and  I  am  famishing." 

Hans  rose  with  alacrity,  and  they  soon  were  at  work 
collecting  pieces  of  biscuits. 

"Let  us  gather  up  all  the  pieces  carefully;  there  are 
a  good  lot  altogether,  and  we  may  want  them  badly 
before  we  have  done." 


ALONE.  83 

In  half  an  hour  they  had  collected  about  30  pounds 
of  biscuits,  and  having  gone  to  the  stream  and  taken 
a  drink  they  made  for  the  spot  where  their  tent  had 
stood.  As  they  expected,  they  found  the  canvas  was 
gone.  They  set  to  work  with  their  knives,  and  cutting 
a  number  of  boughs,  erected  a  shelter  sufficient  to 
shield  them  from  the  night  air.  All  day  they  hoped, 
but  in  vain,  that  some  of  their  comrades  would  return, 
and  listened  eagerly  to  every  sound  in  the  forest,  but 
no  call  or  footstep  met  their  ears.  They  had  no  means 
of  lighting  a  fire,  the  first  having  been  lit  by  the  mate, 
who,  beinor  a  smoker,  had  had  a  small  tin-box  of 
matches  in  his  pocket.  This  had  fitted  closely  and 
kept  out  the  water. 

"What  had  we  better  do  if  no  one  comes  back?" 
Will  said  as  they  sat  in  their  little  hut. 

"Build  anoder  boat,"  Hans  answered. 

"  But  how  are  we  to  do  that,  Hans  ?  We  might  make 
the  framework,  but  we  have  no  canvas  to  cover  it  with; 
besides,  even  if  we  had,  I  have  no  idea  of  the  direction 
of  Singapore,  and  I  doubt  if  we  could  find  our  way 
back  to  Java." 

Hans  had  no  further  suggestion  to  offer. 

"I  suppose  we  could  live  in  the  forest  for  some 
time,"  Will  said.  "I  read  a  book  called  Robinson 
Crusoe,  and  a  sailor  there  lived  on  a  desert  island 
for  years;  but  then  he  had  a  gun  and  all  sorts  of 
things.  There  are  plenty  of  birds,  but  even  if  we 
could  make  bows  and  arrows  I  suppose  we  should  be 


84  DWINDLING   OF  FOOD. 

months  before  we  could  shoot  straight  enough  to  hit 
them." 

Several  days  passed;  the  lads  found  plenty  of  fruit, 
but  the  season  was  advancing,  and  Will  said  one  day 
to  Hans: 

"What  on  earth  are  we  to  do  when  the  fruit  and 
biscuits  are  all  finished?" 

Wandering  in  the  woods  they  found  the  bodies  of 
the  whole  of  their  companions.  All  were  headless,  the 
Malays  having  carried  off  these  coveted  trophies.  They 
did  not  attempt  to  bury  the  bodies,  for  in  such  a 
climate  decomposition  sets  in  rapidly,  and  swarms  of 
insects  complete  the  work.  In  the  grass  near  the  hut 
they  found  one  treasure — the  mate's  axe — which  had 
evidently  fallen  from  his  belt  in  his  flight,  and  had 
been  overlooked  by  the  Malays. 

"I  tell  you  what,  Hans,"  Will  said  one  day,  "fruit  is 
getting  scarcer  and  scarcer,  and  there  are  not  more 
than  five  or  six  pounds  of  biscuits  left.  I  vote  that  we 
make  through  the  forest  into  the  interior  of  the  island ; 
there  must  be  some  villages  scattered  about.  If  we 
enter  one  boldly  they  may  not  kill  us.  I  don't  know 
whether  they  have  any  respect  for  the  laws  of  hospi- 
tality as  some  savages  have;  but  even  if  they  did  kill 
us  it's  better  than  being  starved  to  death  here.  It's  a 
chance  anyhow.     What  do  you  say,  Hans?" 

"  I  don't  zay  noding,"  Hans  answered.  "  I  don't  have 
no  obinion  at  all;  if  you  dink  zat  is  ze  best  plan  let  us 
do  it." 


WILL   AND    HANS    IN    SEARCH    OF   A    SHELTER. 


THE   INTERIOR.  85 

So  saying  Hans  collected  the  biscuit,  tied  it  up  in 
his  handkerchief,  and  was  ready  to  start  at  once. 

"There  is  no  hurry,  Hans,"  Will  said  laughing;  "still, 
if  we  are  to  make  a  start,  we  may  as  well  go  at 
once." 

Turning  their  backs  upon  the  sea  they  struck  into 
the  wood.  They  had  never  before  gone  farther  than 
a  mile  from  the  shore.  After  an  hour's  walking  they 
found  that  the  character  of  the  forest  was  changing: 
the  ground  rose  rapidly,  the  thick  tangled  undergrowth 
disappeared,  and  they  were  able  to  walk  briskly  for- 
ward under  the  shade  of  the  large  trees.  The  hill 
became  steeper  and  steeper  as  they  advanced,  and 
Will  knew  that  they  were  ascending  the  hill  that  they 
had  seen  from  the  ship  when  she  was  coming  towards 
the  shore.  Three  hours  after  leaving  the  coast  they 
were  upon  its  top.  The  ground  was  rocky  here,  and 
in  some  places  bare  of  trees.  Inland  they  saw  hill 
rising  behind  hill,  and  knew  that  the  island  must  be  a 
large  one. 

"  Look,  Hans,  there  is  smoke  curling  up  at  the  foot 
of  that  hill  over  there;  don't  you  see  it?  It  is  very 
faint,  but  it  is  certainly  smoke.  There  must  be  a  house 
there,  and  most  likely  a  village.  Come  on,  we  shall 
get  there  before  the  sun  sets.  I  don't  think  it  can  be 
more  than  a  mile  and  a  half  away." 

Hans  as  usual  assented,  and  in  about  half  an  hour 
they  arrived  at  a  Malay  village. 

The  aspect  was  curious,  each  hut  being  built  in  a 


86  A   MALAY    VILLAGE. 

tree.  At  the  point  where  the  lower  branches  started 
a  platform  was  made;  the  tree  above  this  was  cut 
down,  and  on  the  platform  the  hut  was  erected,  access 
being  obtained  to  it  by  a  ladder.  Several  of  the 
inhabitants  were  walking  about;  these,  upon  seeing 
the  lads,  uttered  cries  of  warning,  and  instantly  flying 
to  the  ladders,  which  were  constructed  of  light  bamboo, 
climbed  to  the  huts  and  raised  the  ladders  after  them. 
Then  at  every  door  men  appeared  with  bent  bows  and 
pointed  arrows  threatening  the  invaders.  Will  had 
cut  a  green  bough,  and  this  he  waved  as  a  token  of 
peace,  while  Hans  threw  up  his  hands  to  show  that  he 
was  unarmed.  Then  they  bowed  several  times  almost 
to  the  ground,  held  out  their  arms  with  outstretched 
hands,  and  finally  sat  down  upon  the  ground. 

The  Malays  apparently  understood  that  their  visitors 
came  in  peace.  They  held  a  long  conversation  among 
themselves,  and  at  last  the  ladder  of  one  of  the  huts', 
which  appeared  larger  and  better  finished  than  the 
others,  was  lowered  and  four  men  descended.  One  of 
these  carried  a  kriss  in  his  hand,  his  bow  was  slung 
behind  his  back;  the  others  kept  their  bows  bent  in 
readiness  for  instant  action. 

The  chief  was  a  tall  and  well-built  man  of  about 
forty  years  of  age.  He,  like  his  followers,  was  dressed 
only  in  a  loin-cloth ;  he  had  copper  bracelets  round  his 
wrists.  As  he  approached,  the  lads  rose  and  bowed 
deeply;  then  Will  held  out  to  him  the  axe,  and  placing 
it  in  his  hand  motioned  to  him  that  it  was  a  present. 


KINDNESS   OF   THE   PEOPLE.  87 

The  chief  looked  pleased  at  the  gift,  placed  his  hands 
on  Will's  shoulder  and  nodded,  and  performed  the 
same  gesture  to  Hans;  then  he  led  them  towards  his 
hut  and  motioned  to  them  to  sit  down  at  the  foot  of 
the  tree. 

Curious  faces  were  watching  from  every  hut,  and 
as  soon  as  it  was  seen  that  peace  was  established,  the 
ladders  were  lowered  and  a  swarm  of  men,  women, 
and  children  soon  surrounded  the  visitors.  At  the 
chief's  order  a  woman  approached  them  bringing  a 
dish  of  food.  This  was  composed,  the  boys  found, 
principally  of  birds  cut  up  and  stewed  with  some  sort 
of  vegetable.  The  dish  was  by  no  means  bad,  and 
after  living  for  nearly  a  fortnight  upon  biscuit  and 
fruit,  they  much  enjoyed  it. 

Presently  women  brought  bundles  of  dried  fern  and 
spread  them  at  the  foot  of  the  tree,  and  soon  after  it 
was  dark  the  boys  lay  down  upon  them.  It  was  long, 
however,  before  they  went  to  sleep;  for  the  din  and 
chatter  in  the  village  continued  until  far  into  the  night. 
The  lads  guessed  that  the  reason  and  manner  of  their 
coming  was  warmly  debated,  and  judged  by  their  re- 
ception that  the  prevailing  opinions  were  favourable, 
and  that  the  visit  from  the  two  white  men  wa-s  con- 
sidered to  be  a  fortunate  omen. 

The  next  day  they  were  again  amply  supplied  with 
food,  and  were  constantly  surrounded  by  a  little  group 
of  women  and  children,  to  whom  their  white  skins 
appeared  a  source  of  constant  wonder.     Their  move- 


88  A    NIGHT   ATTACK. 

inents  were  entirely  unchecked,  and  they  were  evi- 
dently considered  in  the  light  of  guests  rather  than 
prisoners. 

The  next  night  the  village  retired  to  rest  early. 
The  boys  sat  talking  together  for  a  long  time,  and 
then  lay  down  to  sleep.  Presently  Will  thought  that 
he  heard  a  noise,  and  looking  up  saw  in  the  moonlight 
a  number  of  savages  stealthily  approaching.  They 
carried  with  them  ladders,  and  intended,  he  had  no 
'doubt,  to  surprise  the  sleeping  villagers.  They  were 
already  close  at  hand.  Will  shook  Hans,  who  had 
already  gone  off  to  sleep,  and  pointed  out  to  him  the 
advancing  foes.  These  w^ere  already  in  the  village, 
and  separating,  fixed  a  ladder  against  each  of  the  huts. 
So  far  the  boys,  who  lay  in  the  shadow  of  the  hut,  had 
not  been  noticed.  The  Malays,  who  belonged  to  a 
hostile  village,  began  to  climb  the  ladders,  when  the 
lads,  grasping  the  heavy  sticks  which  they  always 
carried,  and  springing  to  their  feet  with  loud  shouts, 
ran  to  the  ladders  before  the  Malays  could  recover  from 
their  astonishment  at  the  approach  of  the  white-faced 
men  rushing  upon  them. 

Half  a  dozen  of  the  ladders  were  upset,  the  men  who 
had  mounted  them  coming  heavily  to  the  ground. 
Some  of  these  as  they  rose  at  once  took  to  their  heels; 
others,  drawing  their  krisses,  rushed  at  their  assailants. 
But  the  lads  were  no  longer  alone.  At  the  first  shout 
the  doors  of  the  huts  had  opened,  and  the  inhabitants 
rushed    out   with   their  arms,   the  remainino-  ladders 


DEFEAT   OF   THE   ASSAILANTS.  89 

were  instantly  overthrown,  and  a  shower  of  arrows 
poured  upon  their  assailants. 

Will  and  Hans  knocked  down  the  foremost  of  their 
assailants,  and  the  whole  body,  foiled  in  their  attempted 
surprise,  discomfited  at  the  appearance  of  the  strange 
white-faced  men,  and  exposed  to  the  arrows  of  the 
defenders,  at  once  darted  away,  several  of  their  number 
having  already  fallen  under  the  shafts  from  above. 
With  exulting  shouts  the  w^arriors  of  the  village  poured 
down  their  ladders  from  the  huts  and  took  up  the  pur- 
suit, and  soon  no  one  remained  in  the  village  save  the 
white  lads  and  the  women  and  children.  Towards 
morning  the  warriors  returned,  several  of  them  bring- 
ing with  them  gory  heads,  showing  that  their  pursuit 
had  not  been  in  vain. 

The  village  w^as  now  the  scene  of  great  rejoicings; 
huge  fires  were  lighted,  and  a  feast  held  in  honour  of 
the  victory.  The  chief  solemnly  placed  the  white  men, 
one  on  each  side  of  him,  and  made  them  a  speech,  in 
which,  by  his  bowing  and  placing  his  hand  on  their 
heads,  they  judged  he  was  thanking  them  for  having 
preserved  their  village  from  massacre.  Indeed,  it  was 
clear,  from  the  respectful  manner  of  all  towards  them, 
that  they  were  regarded  in  the  light  of  genii  who  had 
come  specially  to  protect  the  village  from  the  assaults 
of  its  enemies. 

After  the  feast  was  over  the  chief,  after  a  consulta- 
tion with  the  rest,  pointed  to  a  tree  close  to  that  in 
which  his  own  hut  was  situated.     The  whole  village 


90  SNUGLY   HOUSED. 

set  to  work,  ladders  were  fixed  against  it,  and  the  men 
ascending  hacked  away  with  krisses  and  stone  hatchets 
at  the  trunk.  Hans,  seeing  their  object,  made  signs  to 
the  chief  to  lend  him  his  axe,  and  ascending  to  the  tree 
set  to  work  with  it,  doino-  in  five  minutes  more  work 
than  the  whole  of  the  natives  employed  could  have 
accomplished  in  an  hour.  After  working  for  some 
time  he  handed  the  axe  to  one  of  the  natives,  who  con- 
tinued the  work. 

The  tree  Avas  not  a  large  one,  the  trunk  at  this 
point  being  about  18  inches  in  diameter.  Half  an 
hour's  work  sufficed  to  cut  it  through,  and  the  upper 
part  of  the  tree  fell  with  a  crash.  In  the  meantime 
the  women  had  brought  in  from  the  forest  a  quantity 
of  bamboos,  and  with  these  the  men  set  to  work  and 
speedily  formed  a  platform.  Upon  this  a  hut  was 
erected,  the  roof  and  sides  being  covered  with  palm- 
leaves  laid  closely  together,  forming  a  roof  impervious 
to  rain.  Two  large  bundles  of  fern  for  beds  were  then 
taken  up,  and  the  chief  ascending  solemnly  invited 
the  boys  to  come  up  and  take  possession. 

A  woman  was  told  off  to  prepare  food  for  them  and 
attend  to  their  wants,  and  by  nightfall  the  lads  found 
themselves  in  a  comfortable  abode  of  their  own.  Pull- 
ing up  the  ladder  after  the  manner  of  the  natives  they 
sat  down  to  chat  over  their  altered  prospects.  They 
were  now  clearly  regarded  as  adopted  into  the  village 
community,  and  need  have  no  further  fear  as  to  their 
personal  security  or  means  of  living. 


AN    UNPLEASANT   PROSPECT.  91 

"For  the  time  we  are  safe,"  Will  said;  "but  as  I 
don't  want  to  turn  Malay  and  live  all  my  life  with  no 
other  amusement  than  keeping  my  own  head  on  and 
hunting  for  those  of  the  enemies  of  the  village,  we 
must  think  of  making  our  escape  somehow,  though,  at 
present,  I  own  I  don't  see  how." 


^^^ 


CHAPTER    VI. 

THE   ATTACK   ON    THE    VILLAGE. 

DAY  or  two  later  a  Malay  ran  at  full  speed 
into  the  village,  and  said  a  few  words 
which  caused  a  perfect  hubbub  of  excite- 
ment. The  men  shouted,  the  women  screamed,  and, 
running  up  the  ladders  to  their  tree  abodes,  began 
gathering  together  the  various  articles  of  value  in 
their  eyes.  The  chief  came  up  to  the  boys,  and  by 
signs  intimated  that  a  large  number  of  hostile  natives 
belono'ino'  to  several  villao-es  were  advancino^  to  attack 
them,  and  that  they  must  fly  into  the  interior. 

This  was  very  unwelcome  news  for  the  lads.  Once 
removed  farther  from  the  sea  the  tribe  might  not 
improbably  take  up  their  abode  there,  as  they  would 
fear  to  return  to  the  neighbourhood  of  their  enemies. 
This  would  be  fatal  to  any  chance  of  the  lads  being 
taken  off  by  a  passing  ship. 

After  a  few  words  together  they  determined  to 
oppose  the  movement.  Will,  in  a  loud  voice  and  with 
threatening  gestures,  intimated  that  he  disapproved  of 
the  plan,  and  that  he  and  his  companion  would  assist 


PREPARATIONS  FOR  DEFENCE.  93 

them  in  defending  their  village.  The  Malays  paused 
in  their  preparations.  Their  faith  in  their  white 
visitors  was  very  great,  and  after  a  few  minutes'  talk 
among  themselves  they  intimated  to  the  boys  that 
they  would  obey  their  orders.  Will  at  once  signed  to 
a  few  men  to  stand  as  guards  round  the  village  to 
warn  them  of  the  approaching  enemy,  and  then  set  the 
whole  of  the  rest  of  the  population  to  work  cutting 
sharp-pointed  poles,  boughs,  and  thorny  bushes.  With 
these  a  circle  was  made  around  the  trees  upon  which 
the  village  was  built. 

Fortunately  the  hostile  Malays  had  halted  in  the 
forest  two  or  three  miles  away,  intending  to  make 
their  attack  by  night;  and  as  the  news  of  their  coming- 
had  arrived  at  noon,  the  villagers  had,  before  they 
ceased  work  late  in  the  evening,  erected  a  formidable 
hedofe  round  the  villao^e.  Some  of  the  women  had 
been  set  to  work  manufacturing  a  number  of  torches, 
similar  to  those  used  by  them  for  lighting  their  dwel- 
lings but  much  larger.  They  were  formed  of  the 
stringy  bark  of  a  tree  dipped  in  the  resinous  juice 
obtained  from  another.  Will  had  one  of  these  fastened 
to  each  of  the  trees  nearest  to  the  hedge.  They  were 
fixed  to  the  trunks  on  the  outside,  so  that  their  flame 
would  throw  a  light  on  the  whole  circle  beyond  the 
hedo'e,  while  within  all  would  be  shadow  and  darkness. 

It  was  very  late  before  all  preparations  were  com- 
pleted. Will  then  placed  a  few  men  as  outposts  some 
hundred  yards  in  the  forest,  in  the   direction  from 


94  AWAITING    THE   ASSAULT. 

which  the  enemy  were  likely  to  approach.  They  were 
ordered  to  give  the  alarm  the  moment  they  heard  a 
noise,  and  were  then  to  run  in  and  enter  the  circle  by 
a  small  gap,  which  had  been  left  in  the  abbatis  for  the 
purpose.  Many  of  the  men  then  took  their  posts,  with 
their  bows  and  arrows,  in  the  trees  near  the  hedge. 
The  others  remained  on  the  ground  ready  to  rush  to 
any  point  assailed. 

For  several  hours  no  sound,  save  the  calls  of  the 
night  birds  and  the  occasional  distant  howls  of  beasts 
of  prey  were  heard  in  the  forest;  and  it  was  not  until 
within  an  hour  of  morning — the  hour  generally  selected 
by  Malays  for  an  attack,  as  men  sleep  at  that  time  the 
heaviest — that  a  loud  yell  at  one  of  the  outposts  told 
that  the  enemy  were  close  at  hand. 

Two  or  three  minutes  later  the  scouts  ran  in,  and 
the  gap  through  which  they  had  entered  was  at  once 
filled  up  with  bushes,  which  had  been  piled  close  at 
hand  for  the  purpose.  Aware  that  their  approach 
was  discovered,  the  enemy  abandoned  all  further  con- 
cealment, and  advanced  with  wild  yells,  intending  to 
strike  terror  into  the  defenders  of  the  village.  As 
they  advanced  the  torches  were  all  lighted,  and  as  the 
assailants  came  within  their  circle  of  light  a  shower 
of  arrows  from  the  Malays  on  the  ground  and  in  the 
trees  above  was  poured  into  them. 

Yells  and  screams  told  that  the  volley  had  been  a 
successful  one;  but,  discharging  their  arrows  in  turn, 
the  Malays  with  demoniac  yells  rushed  against  the 


THE   ATTACK.  95 

village.  The  advance,  however,  was  arrested  suddenly 
when  they  arrived  at  the  abbatis.  From  behind  its 
shelter  so  deadly  a  rain  of  arrows  was  poured  in  that 
they  soon  shrank  back,  and  bounded  away  beyond  the 
circle  of  light,  while  taunting  shouts  rose  from  its 
defenders. 

For  a  time  they  contented  themselves  by  distant 
shouting,  and  then  with  a  wdld  yell  charged  forward 
again.  Several  dropped  from  the  fire  of  arrows  from 
"those  in  the  trees  and  behind  the  abbatis;  but,  dis- 
charging their  arrows  in  return,  the  assailants  kept  on 
until  they  again  reached  the  impediment.  Here  they 
strove  furiously  to  break  through,  hacking  with  their 
krisses  and  endeavouring  to  pull  up  the  stakes  with 
their  hands;  but  the  defenders  in  the  shade  behind 
sent  their  arrows  so  fast  and  thick  that  the  assailants 
again  shrank  back  and  darted  aw^ay  to  shelter. 

Throughout  the  nio-ht  there  was  no  renewal  of  the 
attack,  and  in  the  morning  not  a  foe  was  visible.  Two 
or  three  scouts  went  out  to  reconnoitre,  but  no  sooner 
did  they  enter  the  forest  than  one  of  them  was  shot 
down  and  the  rest  sent  flying  back. 

"  I  believe  the  scoundrels  are  going  to  try  to  starve 
us  out,"  Will  said.  "  Let  us  speak  to  the  chief  and 
ask  how  much  provisions  they  have  got." 

After  much  pantomime  Will  succeeded  in  conveying 
his  meaning  to  the  chief,  and  the  latter  at  once  ordered 
all  the  inhabitants  to  produce  their  stock  of  food.  This 
was  unexpectedly  large,  and  Will  thought  that  there 


96  NO    WATER. 

was  sufficient  for  a  fortnight's  consumption.  He  now 
made  signs  of  drinking,  but  the  reply  to  this  was  dis- 
heartening in  the  extreme.  A  few  gourds  full  of 
water  were  brought  forward,  and  tAvo  or  three  of  the 
close- woven  baskets  in  which  water  is  often  carried  in 
this  country,  there  was,  in  fact,  scarce  enough  to  last 
the  defenders  for  a  day. 

The  stream  from  which  the  village  drew  its  supply 
of  water  was  about  a  couple  of  hundred  yards  away; 
consequently  the  villagers  fetched  up  their  water  as 
they  needed  it,  and  no  one  thought  of  keeping  a  store. 
Will  looked  in  dismay  at  the  smallness  of  the  supply. 

"  If  they  really  intend  to  starve  us  out,  Hans,  we 
are  done  for.  No  doubt  they  reckon  on  our  water 
falling  short.  They  would  know  that  it  was  not  likely 
that  there  would  be  a  supply  here." 

The  natives  were  not  slow  to  recognize  the  weak 
point  of  their  defence.  One  or  two  of  the  men,  taking 
water  baskets,  were  about  to  go  to  the  stream,  but 
Will  made  signs  to  the  chief  that  they  must  not  do 
tliis. 

The  only  hope  was  that  the  enemies  would  draw 
off;  but  if  they  saw  that  water  was  already  short,  they 
would  be  encouraged  to  continue  to  beleaguer  the 
place.  Will  was  unable  to  explain  his  reasons  to  the 
chief,  but  the  latter  seeing  how  great  was  the  advantage 
that  they  had  already  gained  by  following  the  counsel 
of  their  white  visitors  in  the  matter  of  the  hedge, 
acquiesced  at  once  in  their  wishes. 


will's  plan.  97 

Will  then  ascended  to  one  of  the  huts,  and  carefully 
reconnoitred  the  whole  ground.  There  was,  he  saw, 
at  the  end  farthest  from  the  stream  a  slight  dip  in  the 
land  extending  into  the  forest.  Beckoning  the  chief 
to  join  him,  he  made  signs  that  at  night  the  warriors 
should  issue  silently  from  the  village  at  this  point, 
and  make  noiselessly  through  the  wood;  they  would 
then  take  a  wide  circuit  till  they  came  upon  the 
stream,  and  would  then,  working  up  it,  fall  upon  the 
enemy  in  the  rear. 

The  chief  was  dubious,  but  Will  made  an  imperative 
gesture,  and  the  chief  in  a  humble  manner  agreed  to 
do  as  he  was  ordered.  The  day  passed  slowly,  and 
before  nightfall  the  supply  of  water  was  entirely 
finished.  Once  or  twice  scouts  had  gone  out  to  see  if 
the  enemy  were  still  round  the  village,  but  returned 
each  time  with  the  news  that  they  were  there. 

The  last  time,  just  before  nightfall.  Will  directed 
two  or  three  of  them  to  take  water-buckets,  and  to  go 
in  the  direction  of  the  stream;  signing  to  them,  how- 
ever, to  return  the  moment  they  saw  signs  of  the 
enemy.  They  were  soon  back;  and,  as  Will  had  ex- 
pected, the  sight  of  the  water-buckets  showed  the 
enemy  that  the  garrison  of  the  village  were  badly 
supplied  in  that  respect,  and  taunting  shouts  arose 
from  the  woods  asking  them  why  they  did  not  go 
down  to  drink. 

Will  felt  certain  that  the  Malays  would  now  draw 
the  greater  part  of  their  number  down  to  the  side  of 

(274)         "  G 


98  A    NIGHT    SORTIE. 

the  stream,  and  that  there  would  therefore  be  the  more 
chance  of  the  garrison  making  their  way  out  at  the 
other  end  of  the  village. 

Three  hours  after  it  was  dark  the  chief  mustered  all 
his  men,  they  were  about  five-and-forty  in  all.  Will 
signed  that  each  should  take  with  him  a  water-basket 
or  large  gourd,  so  that,  in  case  they  failed  in  defeating 
the  enemy  and  breaking  up  the  blockade,  they  might 
at  least  be  able  to  bring  a  supply  of  water  into  the 
village.  Will  then,  with  much  difficulty,  explained  to 
the  chief  that  the  old  men,  boys,  and  women  remaining 
in  the  village  were,  the  moment  they  heard  the  sound 
of  the  attack  upon  the  enemy's  rear,  to  shout  and  yell 
their  loudest,  and  to  shoot  arrows  in  the  direction  of 
the  enemy. 

A  few  sticks  had  already  been  pulled  up  at  the 
point  of  the  hedge  through  which  Will  intended  to 
make  a  sally,  and  the  band  now  passed  noiselessly  out. 
The  chief  himself  led  the  way,  the  white  boys  following 
behind  him.  Lying  upon  their  stomachs  they  crawled 
noiselessly  along  down  the  little  depression,  and  in 
ten  minutes  were  well  in  the  wood  without  havino- 

o 

met  with  an  enemy,  although  they  had  several  times 
heard  voices  among  the  trees  near  them.  They  now 
rose  to  their  feet,  and,  making  a  wide  detour,  came 
down,  after  a  quarter  of  an  hour's  walk,  upon  the 
stream.  Here  the  gourds  and  baskets  were  filled;  and 
then,  keeping  along  by  the  waterside,  they  continued 
their  march. 


A   SURPRISE.  99 

Presently  they  saw  a  number  of  fires,  round  which 
many  Malays  were  sitting.  They  crept  noiselessly  up 
until  within  a  few  yards,  and  then  with  a  yell  burst 
upon  the  enemy.  Numbers  were  cut  down  at  once, 
and  the  rest,  appalled  by  this  attack  on  their  rear,  and 
supposing  that  the  inhabitants  of  some  other  village 
must  have  arrived  to  the  assistance  of  those  they  were 
besieging,  at  once  fled  in  all  directions.  Those  remaining 
in  the  village  had  seconded  the  attack  by  wild  shouts, 
so  loud  and  continuous  that  their  besiegers  had  no 
reason  to  suppose  that  their  number  had  been  weak- 
ened. 

For  a  few  minutes  the  pursuit  was  kept  up;  then 
the  chief  recalled  his  followers  with  a  shout.  The 
water-baskets,  many  of  which  had  been  thrown  down 
in  the  attack,  were  refilled,  and  the  party  made  their 
way  up  to  the  village,  where  they  were  received  with 
shouts  of  triumph. 

The  panic  of  the  Malays  had  been  in  no  slight 
degree  caused  by  the  appearance  of  the  two  boys,  who 
had  purposely  stripped  to  the  waist,  and  had  shouted 
at  the  top  of  their  voices,  as,  waving  the  ki-isses  which 
they  had  borrowed,  they  fell  upon  the  foe. 

The  idea  that  white  devils  were  leao-ued  with  the 

o 

enemies  against  them  had  excited  the  superstitious 
fear  of  the  Malays  to  the  utmost,  and  when  in  the 
morning  scouts  again  sallied  from  the  village,  they 
found  that  the  enemy  had  entirely  gone,  the  fact  that 
they  had  not  even  returned  to  carry  ofi"  the  effects 


100  A   TERRIBLE   MESSAGE. 

which  had  been  abandoned  in  the  first  panic,  showing 
that  they  had  continued  their  flight,  without  stopping, 
to  their  distant  villages. 

The  chief,  like  an  able  politician,  took  advantage  of 
the  impression  which  his  white  visitors  had  created, 
and  the  same  day  sent  off  messengers  to  the  villages 
which  had  combined  in  the  attack  against  them,  saying 
that  the  white  men,  his  guests,  were  very  angry;  and 
that  unless  peace  was  made  and  a  solemn  promise  given 
that  there  should  be  no  renewal  of  the  late  attempts, 
they  were  going  to  lay  a  dreadful  spell  ujDon  the  vil- 
lages. Women  and  children  would  be  seized  by  disease 
and  the  right  arms  of  the  warriors  wither  up. 

This  terrible  threat  carried  consternation  into  the 
Malay  villages.  The  women  burst  into  prolonged 
wailings,  and  the  bravest  of  the  men  trembled.  The 
messenger  said  that  the  white  men  had  consented  to 
abstain  from  using  their  magical  powers  until  the  fol- 
lowing day,  and  that  the  only  chance  to  propitiate 
them  was  for  deputations  from  the  villages  to  come  in 
early  the  next  morning  with  promises  of  peace  and 
offerings  for  the  offended  white  men. 

It  was  not  for  some  time  afterwards  that  the  lads 
learned  enough  of  the  lano'uao:e  to  understand  what 
had  been  done,  but  they  guessed  (from  the  exultation  of 
the  chief  and  the  signs  which  he  made  that  their  late 
enemies  would  shortly  come  in,  in  an  attitude  of 
humiliation)  that  he  had  in  some  way  succeeded  in 
establishing  a  scare  among  them. 


A   SUBMISSIVE   DEPUTATION.  101 

On  the  following  morning  deputations  consisting  of 
six  warriors,  and  women  bearing  trays  with  fruit, 
birds,  and  other  offerings,  arrived  at  the  village.  The 
men  were  unarmed.  At  their  approach  the  chief  made 
signs  to  the  boys  to  take  a  seat  at  the  foot  of  the  prin- 
cipal tree ;  and  then,  accompanied  by  his  leading  w^ar- 
riors,  led  the  deputation  with  much  ceremony  before 
them.  The  women  placed  their  trays  at  their  feet,  and 
the  men  addressed  them  in  long  speeches  and  with 
many  signs  of  submission.  The  boys  played  their  part 
well.  As  soon  as  they  saw  what  was  required  of  them 
they  signified  with  an  air  of  much  dignity  that  they 
accepted  the  offerings,  and  then  went  through  the 
ceremony  of  shaking  hands  solemnly  with  each  of  the 
warriors.  Then  they  made  a  speech,  in  which  with 
much  gesticulation  they  signified  to  the  visitors  that  a 
terrible  fate  would  befall  them  should  they  again  ven- 
ture to  meddle  with  the  village. 

Much  awed  and  impressed  the  Malay's  withdrew.  The 
boys  made  a  selection  from  the  baskets  of  fruit  for 
their  own  eating,  and  then  signified  to  the  chief  that 
he  should  divide  the  rest  among  the  inhabitants  of  the 
village.  When  this  was  done  the  boys  ascended  to 
their  tree  and  passed  the  day  there  quietly,  the  vil- 
lagers indulging  in  feasting,  singing,  and  rejoicing  over 
their  victory. 

"  The  worst  of  all  this  is,"  Will  said  to  Hans,  "that 
the  more  they  reverence  us,  and  the  more  useful  they 
find  us,  the   more  anxious  they  will  be  to  keep  us 


102  NATIVE   SUPERSTITION. 

always  with  them.  However,  there  is  one  comfort,  we 
are  safe  as  lons^  as  we  choose  to  remain  here,  and  that 
is  more  than  we  could  have  hoped  for  when  we  first 
landed  from  the  wreck.  It  is  curious  that  the  Malays, 
who  have  no  hesitation  in  attacking  English  ships  and 
murdering  their  crews,  have  yet  a  sort  of  superstitious 
dread  of  us.  But  I  suppose  it  is  something  the  same 
wav  as  it  was  in  England  in  the  days  of  the  persecution 
of  old  women  as  witches:  they  believed  that,  if  left  to 
themselves,  they  could  cast  deadly  spells,  and  yet  they 
had  no  hesitation  in  putting  them  to  death.  I  suppose 
that  it  is  somethino'  of  the  same  feelino^  here." 


CHAPTER   VII. 


THE   FIGHT   WITH   THE   PEAHUS. 


ERY  frequently,  in  the  days  that  followed, 
William  Gale  and  his  friend  Hans  talked 
over  the  possibility  of  effecting  an  escape, 
but  the  difficulties  appeared  almost  invincible.  The 
various  villages  which,  so  far  as  the  boys  could  under- 
stand, were  scattered  at  some  distance  apart,  had  little 
dealings  with  each  other,  and  indeed  were  frequently 
engaged  in  feuds.  The  particular  people  with  whom 
they  lived  had  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  the  sea. 
They  used — at  least  so  the  boys  understood  by  their 
signs — to  fish  at  one  time;  but  they  had  been  robbed 
of  their  boats  and  maltreated  by  some  of  the  cruising 
tribes  who  lived  in  villages  on  the  coast  or  on  creeks 
and  rivers. 

The  possibility  of  escape  seemed  small  indeed.  To 
escape  they  must  get  on  board  a  ship,  and  to  do  this 
they  must  first  go  out  to  sea,  and  this  could  only  be 
done  in  a  boat  of  their  own  or  in  one  of  the  piratical 
prahus.  The  latter  course  could  not  be  thought  of, 
for  the  coast  pirates  were  bloodthirsty  in  the  extreme; 


104  PLANS   OF  ESCAPE. 

and  even  could  they  change  their  residence  to  one  of 
the  sea-side  villages,  and  gain  the  friendship  of  the  in- 
habitants, they  would  be  no  nearer  to  their  end.  For 
as  these  go  out  to  attack  and  not  to  trade  with  Euro- 
pean ships,  there  would  be  no  chance  of  escaping  in 
that  way. 

Upon  the  other  hand,  they  might  build  a  boat  of 
their  own;  but  they  considered  it  improbable  that  the 
Malays  would  allow  them  to  depart,  for  they  evidently 
regarded  their  presence  as  a  prodigy,  and  revered 
them  as  having  miraculously  arrived  at  the  moment 
when  a  great  danger  threatened  the  village;  but,  even 
should  they  be  allowed  to  build  a  boat  and  depart, 
they  knew  not  whither  to  go.  They  knew  nothing  of 
navigation,  and  were  ignorant  of  the  geography  of  the 
Archipelago,  and  the  chances  of  their  striking  upon 
the  one  or  two  spots  where  alone  they  could  land  with 
safety  were  so  small  that  it  would  be  madness  to  under- 
take the  voyage. 

For  six  months  they  lived  quietly  in  the  Malay 
village.  The  people  instructed  them  in  the  use  of  their 
blow -guns,  in  which  they  are  wonderfully  skilful, 
being  able  to  bring  down  a  bird  sitting  on  a  lofty 
bough  of  a  tree  with  almost  an  unerring  accuracy.  They 
also  taught  them  to  shoot  with  the  bow  and  arrow,  and 
they  found  that  the  natives  used  the  roots  of  various 
kinds  of  plants  for  food.  The  time  did  not  pass  un- 
pleasantly, and  had  they  known  that  it  would  last  but 
a  few  months  only,  they  would  have  enjoyed  it  much. 


THE   FIRST    STEP.  105 

At  last,  after  much  deliberation,  they  determined 
that  they  would,  as  a  first  step  towards  escape,  con- 
struct a  little  boat  under  pretence  of  wanting  to  fish. 
Accordingly,  one  day  when  out  with  the  chief  and  two 
or  three  of  his  men  in  the  direction  of  the  sea,  they 
pointed  there  and  signified  that  they  wished  to  go 
there,  for  they  had  picked  up  a  good  many  Malay 
words.  The  chief  shook  his  head,  but  they  insisted  in 
so  authoritative  a  manner  that  he  gave  way  and  fol- 
lowed them. 

When  they  reached  the  shore  they  made  signs  that 
they  wanted  to  construct  a  boat.  Again  the  chief  shook 
his  head  vehemently,  and  enforced  his  meaning  by 
pointing  along  shore  and  going  through  the  action  first 
of  rowing,  then  of  fighting,  intimating  that  they  would 
certainly  be  killed,  if  they  ventured  out,  by  the  fierce 
coast  tribes.  The  boys  nodded  to  show  that  they 
understood  what  he  wished  to  say;  but  pointing  to 
the  water  a  few  yards  from  shore,  went  through  the 
action  of  fishing;  then,  burdening  themselves  with 
imaginary  fish,  they  pointed  to  the  village  and  showed 
that  they  would  supply  it  with  food. 

The  Malays  talked  for  some  time  among  themselves. 
They  had  so  vast  a  respect  for  the  white  men  that  they 
did  not  like  to  thwart  their  wishes.  The  thought  too 
of  a  supply  of  fish,  of  which  they  had  been  long  de- 
prived owing  to  their  feuds  with  some  of  the  coast  vil- 
lages, also  operated  strongly  in  favour  of  their  yielding 
an  assent;  and  at  last  the  chief  made  signs  that  he 


106  MAKING   A    CANOE. 

agreed,  and  pointing  to  the  village  intimated  that  as- 
sistance should  be  given  in  building  a  boat. 

The  next  day,  accordingly,  ten  or  twelve  men  came 
down  to  the  shore  with  them.  A  tree  was  felled, 
the  ends  were  pointed,  and  the  whole  formed  roughly 
into  the  shape  of  a  canoe;  fires  were  lighted  on  the 
top,  and  by  dint  of  flame  and  axe  a  hollow  was  dug- 
out. The  operation  lasted  three  days,  the  men  having 
brought  provisions  with  them  so  as  to  avoid  making 
the  journey — two  and  a  half  hours  long — to  and  from 
the  village  each  day.  The  boat  when  finished  was  but 
a  rouo'h  construction,  and  would  have  excited  the 
mockery  of  any  of  the  coast  villagers,  as  they  are 
expert  boat-builders;  still,  it  was  amply  sufiicient  for 
the  purpose  for  which  it  was  intended,  namely,  for 
fishinoj  inside  the  line  of  reefs. 

It  was  heavy  and  paddled  slowly,  and  the  lads  had 
a  strong  suspicion  that  the  Malays  had  purposely 
made  it  more  clumsy  and  unseaworthy  than  need  be 
in  order  that  they  should  have  no  temptation  to  at- 
tempt a  distant  journey  in  it.  There  was  no  diffi- 
culty about  lines,  the  Malays  being  skilled  in  making 
string  and  ropes  from  the  fibres  of  trees.  The  hooks 
were  more  difficult ;  but,  upon  searching  very  carefully 
along  the  shore,  the  lads  found  some  fragments  of  one 
of  the  ship  boats,  and  in  these  were  several  copper 
nails,  which,  hammered  and  bent,  would  serve  their 
purpose  well.  The  lines  were  ready  on  the  day  the 
canoe  was  finished,  and  as  soon  as  she  was  launched  the 


SUCCESSFUL   FISHING.  107 

chief  and  one  of  the  other  Malays  and  the  hoys  took 
then-  seats  in  her. 

The  natives  paddled  her  out  nearly  to  the  edge  of 
the  reef;  four  lines,  baited  with  pieces  of  raw  birds'- 
flesh,  were  thrown  overboard.  A  few  minutes  passed 
rather  anxiously  for  the  lads,  who  were  most  desirous 
that  the  fishing  should  be  successful  so  as  to  afford 
them  an  excuse  for  frequently  pursuing  it.  Then  there 
was  a  Ijite,  and  Hans,  who  held  the  line,  found  that  it 
taxed  his  strength  to  haul  in  the  fish  which  tugged  and 
strained  upon  it.  When  it  was  got  into  the  boat  it 
proved  to  be  some  fourteen  pounds  in  weight.  By 
this  time  two  of  the  other  baits  had  been  taken,  and  in 
less  than  an  hour  they  had  caught  upwards  of  thirty 
fish,  nTOst  of  them  of  considerable  size. 

The  natives  were  delighted;  and,  paddling  to  shore, 
the  burden  was  distributed  among  the  whole  party, 
with  the  exception  of  the  chief  and  the  two  whites. 
Before  starting,  a  young  tree  was  cut  down  and  chopped 
into  lengths  of  a  few  feet  each,  and  on  these  rollers  the 
canoe  was  hauled  high  up  the  beach.  Then  the  party 
set  out  for  the  village,  where  their  arrival  with  so 
large  a  supply  of  food  occasioned  great  rejoicing 

After  this  the  boys  went  down  regularly  every  day 
to  fish.  At  first  three  or  four  of  the  natives  always 
accompanied  them,  under  pretence  of  carrying  back 
the  fish,  but  really,  as  they  thought,  to  keep  a  watch 
over  them.  To  lessen  their  hosts'  suspicions,  sometimes 
one  or  other  stayed  in  the  village.     As  time  went  on 


108  LULLING   SUSPICIONS. 

the  suspicion  of  the  Malays  abated.  The  number  of 
the  guard  was  lessened,  and  finally,  as  the  men  disliked 
so  long  a  tramp,  some  of  the  boys  wore  told  off*  to  ac- 
company the  white  njen  and  assist  in  bringing  back 
their  fish.  They  were  in  the  habit  of  starting  soon 
after  daybreak,  and  of  not  returning  till  late  in  the 
evening,  accounting  for  their  long  absence  by  pointing 
to  the  sun. 

The  fishing  was  always  performed  immediately  they 
reached  the  coast.  When  they  had  caught  as  many  as 
they  and  the  boys  could  carry,  these  were  placed  in  a 
laro^e  covered  basket,  which  was  sunk  in  the  water 
close  to  the  shore  to  keep  the  fish  in  good  condition 
until  they  started.  Then  they  would  paddle  about 
within  the  reef;  or,  during  the  extreme  heat  of  the 
day,  lie  in  the  boat,  shaded  by  bunches  of  palm  leaves. 

The  Malay  boys,  who  were  set  on  shore  after  the 
fishing,  were  left  alone,  and  amused  themselves  by 
bathing,  or  passed  the  time  asleep  under  the  trees. 

After  the  first  day  or  two  it  had  struck  the  boys 
that  it  was  dano-erous  to  leave  the  canoe  hio^h  on  the 
sand,  as  it  would  be  observed  even  at  a  distance  by  a 
passing  lorahu.  Consequently,  a  deep  trench  had  been 
dug  from  the  sea,  far  enough  up  to  allow  the  canoe,  when 
floating  in  it,  to  lie  below  the  level  of  the  beach.  Before 
leaving  her  she  was  each  day  roughly  covered  with 
sea-weed,  and  might  therefore  escape  observation  by 
any  craft  passing  at  a  short  distance  from  the  shore. 

In  their  expeditions  along  the  reef  the  boys  dis- 


A  SAIL.  109 

covered  a  passage  through  it.  It  was  of  about  double 
the  width  of  a  ship,  and  of  amply  sufficient  depth  to 
allow  a  vessel  of  any  size  to  cross.  At  all  other  points, 
for  a  distance  of  a  mile  or  two  either  way,  which  was 
the  extent  of  their  excursions,  the  reef  came  very  near 
to  the  surface,  its  jagged  points  for  the  most  part  show- 
ing above  it. 

Several  months  passed,  and  still  no  sail  which  pro- 
mised a  hope  of  deliverance  had  shown  over  the  sur- 
face of  the  sea.  Scarce  a  day  passed  without  their 
seeing  the  Malay  pr alius  passing  up  and  down  the 
coast,  but  these  always  kept  some  distance  out,  and 
caused  no  uneasiness  to  the  fishermen.  They  had 
during  this  time  completed  the  hollowing  out  of  the 
boat,  until  her  sides  were  extremely  thin,  and  she  was 
so  light  that  she  could  be  paddled  at  a  high  rate  of 
speed. 

They  were  both  now  expert  with  the  paddle,  and 
felt  that  if  in  a  light  wind  a  vessel  should  be  seen  off 
the  coast,  they  would  be  enabled  to  row  out  and  reach 
her.  It  might  be,  they  knew,  months  or  even  years 
before  such  a  ship  could  be  seen.  Still,  as  there  were 
many  vessels  trading  among  the  islands,  at  any  moment 
an  occurrence  might  arise. 

One  afternoon  they  had  been  dozing  under  their 
leafy  shade,  when  Will,  who  first  awoke,  sat  up  and 
uttered  a  cry.  Almost  abreast  of  them,  and  but  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  outside  the  reef,  was  a  large  brig. 
The  wind  was  light,  and  with  every  stitch  of  canvas 


110  CHASED   BY   PIRATES. 

set  she  was  making  but  slow  progress  through  the 
water. 

Hans  leaped  up,  echoed  the  cry,  and,  seizing  their 
paddles,  they  rowed  with  all  their  strengh  away  to  the 
opening  through  the  reef,  passed  through,  and  headed 
for  the  ship.  They  now  saw  what  they  had  not  at 
first  observed.  At  a  distance  of  some  three  miles 
astern  were  five  large  pr alius  with  their  sails  set,  and 
the  banks  of  oars  rising  and  falling  rapidly.  The  brig 
was  chased  by  the  pirates.  The  boys  rested  on  their 
paddles  for  a  moment. 

"  They  are  more  than  a  match  for  her,  I  am  afraid," 
Will  said.  "  What  do  you  say,  Hans,  shall  we  go  on 
or  not?" 

Hans  made  no  reply.  He  was  never  quick  at  coming 
to  a  decision. 

"  We  had  better  go,"  Will  went  on.  "  We  can  see 
whether  they  mean  to  fight  or  not." 

The  boys  were  naked  to  the  waist,  for  the  thorns  of 
the  forest  had  long  since  torn  in  pieces  the  shirts  which 
they  had  on  when  they  landed  from  the  wreck,  and 
their  skins  were  bronzed  to  a  deep  copper  colour. 
Still  they  diftered  in  hue  from  the  natives  of  the 
island,  and  the  men  on  board  the  brig  regarded  them 
with  some  surprise  as  they  approached  it. 

"Throw  us  a  rope!"  Will  shouted  as  they  neared 
her. 

There  was  a  cry  of  surprise  from  the  crew  at  being 
addressed  in  English,  but  a  rope  was  thrown  and  the 


LONG  ODDS.  Ill 

boys  soon  sprang  on  board.  They  saw  at  once  that 
the  ship  was  an  English  one. 

"Hallo!  where  do  you  spring  from?"  asked  the 
captain. 

"  We  were  shipwrecked  here  ten  months  ago,"  Will 
said,  "  and  have  been  living  with  the  natives." 

"  At  any  other  time  I  should  have  been  glad  to  see 
you,"  the  captain  said;  "but  just  at  present,  if  you 
will  take  my  advice,  you  will  get  into  your  canoe  and 
row  on  shore  again.  As  you  see,"  and  he  pointed  to 
the  'pralins,  "we  are  chased;  and  although  I  mean  to 
fight  to  the  last,  for  there  is  no  mercy  to  be  expected 
from  these  bloodthirsty  scoundrels,  I  fear  the  chances 
are  small." 

Will  looked  round  and  saw  that  the  six  cannons 
which  the   brio-   carried — for  vessels  tradinor   in  the 

o  o 

Eastern  Archipelago  are  always  armed — had  already 
been  loosened  ready  for  action,  and  that  a  group  of 
men  were  at  work  mounting  a  long  gun  which  had 
just  been  raised  from  the  hold.  Knowing  the  number 
of  men  that  the  jrjralais  carried  Will  felt  that  the 
chance  of  a  successful  resistance  was  slight. 

There  were  about  eio-hteen  men  on  deck,  a  number 
larger  than  the  brig  would  carry  in  other  seas,  but 
necessary  in  so  dangerous  a  trading  ground  as  this. 
The  'prahiis,  however,  would  each  carry  from  eighty 
to  one  hundred  men,  and  these  attacking  at  once  from 
opposite  sides  would  be  likely  to  bear  down  all  opposi- 
tion.    Suddenly  an  idea  occurred  to  him. 


112  A  VANTAGE  POST. 

"  Look,  sir,  there  is  a  passage  through  the  reef  there, 
with  plenty  of  water  and  width  enough  for  your  ship. 
I  can  take  her  through.  There  is  no  other  passage  for 
some  distance.  If  you  take  her  inside  and  lay  her  across 
the  channel  the  'prahus  can  only  attack  on  one  side, 
and  you  can  place  all  your  guns  and  strength  there." 

The  captain  at  once  saw  the  advantage  of  this 
scheme. 

"Capital!"  he  exclaimed.  "Take  the  helm  at  once, 
my  lad.     Ease  off  the  sheets,  men." 

They  were  now  nearly  opposite  the  entrance,  and 
the  lio-ht  wind  was  blowing:  towards  the  shore.  The 
captain  ordered  all  hands  to  reduce  sail,  only  keeping 
on  enough  to  give  the  vessel  steerage- way.  Two  boats 
were  lowered  and  an  anchor  and  cable  passed  into 
each,  and  as  the  brig  passed  through  the  opening  the 
rest  of  the  sail  was  lowered. 

The  boats  rowed  to  the  reef,  one  on  either  side. 
The  anchors  were  firmly  fixed  into  the  rock,  and  one 
being  taken  from  the  head  and  the  other  from  the 
stern,  the  crews  set  to  work  at  the  capstan  and  speedily 
had  the  vessel  safely  moored,  broadside  on,  across  the 
entrance  to  the  reef. 

The  Malay  boats  were  now  about  a  mile  astern. 
They  had  ceased  rowing  when  they  saw  the  vessel 
headed  for  the  land,  supposing  that  the  captain  was 
about  to  run  on  shore.  When,  to  their  astonishment, 
they  saw  her  pass  the  reef  with  safety,  they  again  set 
to  at  their  work.     The  guns  were  now  all  brought 


THE   ATTACK   BY  THE   PRAHUS.  113 

over  to  the  side  facing  the  entrance  and  ^Yere  loaded 
to  the  muzzle  with  bullets.  A  number  of  shots  be- 
longing to  the  long  gun  were  placed  by  the  bulwarks 
in  readiness  to  hurl  down  into  the  prahus  should  they 
get  alongside. 

The  sailors,  thouo-h  determined  to  fio-ht  till  the  last, 
had,  when  the  boys  came  on  board,  been  making  their 
preparations  with  the  silence  of  despair.  They  were 
now  in  high  spirits,  for  they  felt  that  they  could  beat  off 
any  attempt  of  the  enemy  to  attack  them.  When  the 
Malays  were  abreast  of  the  ship  they  ceased  rowing 
and  drew  close  together,  and  evidently  held  a  consul- 
tation. 

The  brig  at  once  opened  fire  with  her  long  gun,  and 
the  first  shot  hulled  one  of  the  jprahiis  close  to  the 
water's  edge. 

"  That's  right,  Tom,"  the  captain  said,  "  stick  to  the 
same  craft:  if  you  can  sink  her  there  is  one  the  less." 

Several  more  shots  were  fired,  with  such  effect  that 
the  Malays  were  observed  jumping  overboard  in  great 
numbers  and  swimminof  towards  the  other  boats,  their 
own  beino'  in  a  sinkino-  condition.  The  other  four 
prahus  at  once  turned  their  heads  tow^ards  shore,  and 
rowed  with  full  speed  towards  the  ship. 

They  knew  that  the  entrance,  of  whose  existence 
they  had  been  previously  unaware,  was  an  exceedingly 
narrow  one;  and,  as  they  neared  the  shore,  could  see 
by  the  line  of  breaking  surf  that  it  could  at  most  be 
wide  enough  for  one  to  pass  at  a  time.     Accordingly^ 

(274)  H 


114  A   HEAVY   CANNONADE. 

one  drew  ahead,  and  discharging  the  cannon  which  it 
carried  in  its  bow,  rowed  at  full  speed  for  the  entrance, 
another  following  so  close  behind  that  its  bow  almost 
touched  the  stern. 

"  Train  the  guns  to  bear  on  the  centre  of  the  channel," 
the  captain  said;  "let  the  three  bow-guns  take  the  first 
boat,  the  other  three  the  second.  Do  you,  Tom,  work 
away  at  the  two  behind." 

The  prahus  came  along  at  a  great  rate,  the  sweeps 
churning  up  the  water  into  foam.  The  leading  boat 
dashed  through  the  channel,  the  sweeps  grating  on  the 
rocks  on  either  side;  her  bow  was  but  two  yards  dis- 
tant from  the  side  of  the  ship  when  the  captain  gave 
the  word.  The  three  cannon  poured  their  contents 
into  her,  sweeping  her  crowded  decks  and  tearing  out 
her  bottom.  Great  as  was  her  speed,  she  sank  below 
the  water  just  as  her  bow  touched  the  side  of  the  ship. 
Ten  seconds  later  the  command  was  again  given,  and 
a  broadside  as  destructive  was  poured  into  the  second 
boat.  The  damage  done  was  somewhat  less,  and  her 
bow  reached  the  side  of  the  ship. 

A  dozen  Malays  sprang  on  board  as  their  boat  sank 
under  their  feet ;  but  the  sailors  were  ready,  and  with 
musket,  pistol,  and  cutlass  fell  upon  them,  and  either 
cut  down  or  drove  them  overboard.  The  sea  around 
was  covered  with  swimmers,  but  the  ship  was  too 
high  out  of  the  water  for  them  to  attempt  to  board 
her,  and  the  Malays  at  once  struck  out  for  the  shore, 
the  sailors  keeping  up  the  musketry  fire  upon  them 


THE   DEFEAT   OF   THE   MALAYS.  115 

until  out  of  range.  The  other  two  boats  had  not  fol- 
lowed: the  mate  had  plumped  a  shot  from  the  long  gun 
full  into  the  bow  of  the  first;  and,  seeing  the  destruc- 
tion which  had  fallen  upon  their  leaders,  both  turned 
their  heads  and  made  for  sea,  the  mate  continuing  his 
fire  until  they  were  out  of  range,  one  shot  carrying 
away  the  greater  part  of  the  oars  on  one  side  of  the 
boat  previously  struck. 

When  at  a  distance  of  upwards  of  a  mile  they  ceased 
rowing  and  for  some  time  lay  close  together.  The  men 
of  the  injured  boat  were  observed  to  be  stopping  the 
yawning  hole  in  her  bows  a  few  inches  above  the  water 
level,  the  other  started  ofi*  at  full  speed  up  the  coast. 
It  was  now  evening,  and  there  was  scarcely  a  breath 
of  wind.  The  men  crowded  round  the  lads  and 
thanked  them  warmly  for  having  been  the  means  of 
saving  them  from  destruction. 

"I  am  afraid  you  are  not  out  of  danger  yet,"  Will 
said,  as  the  captain  shook  him  by  the  hand.  "No  doubt 
that  boat  has  gone  ofi"  with  the  news,  and  before  morn- 
ing you  will  have  half  a  dozen  fresh  enemies  coming 
down  inside  the  reef  to  attack  you." 

"  If  we  had  but  a  breath  of  wind  we  might  do,"  the 
captain  said. 

"I  fear  you  will  have  none  before  morning;  then  it 
generally  blows  fresh  for  two  or  three  hours.  I  don't 
know  how  far  it  is  to  the  village,  which  is  the  head- 
quarters of  the  pirates.  As  far  as  I  could  make  out 
from  the  Malays  with  whom  we  have  been  living  it  is 


116  THE  PROSPECT  OF  ESCAPE. 

about  six  hours'  walking,  but  the  boats  will  row  twice 
as  fast  as  a  man  would  walk  through  the  forest.  In 
that  case  you  may  be  attacked  at  two  or  three  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  and  you  won't  get  the  breeze  till  after 
sunrise." 

"  Are  there  any  other  channels  through  the  reef  ? " 
the  captain  asked. 

"I  do  not  know,"  Will  replied.  "We  have  never 
explored  it  very  far  either  way;  but  as  I  should  think 
from  the  action  of  the  Malays  that  they  did  not  know 
of  this,  they  might  not  know  of  any  other  did  it  exist." 

"  Then,"  the  captain  said,  "  I  will  warp  the  brig  out 
through  the  channel  again,  and  anchor  her,  stem  and 
stern,  across  it  outside.  They  will  find  it  as  hard  to 
attack  us  there  as  they  did  before.  Then,  when  the 
breeze  comes,  we  will  slip  our  cable  and  run  for  it. 
She  is  a  fast  sailer,  and  can,  I  think,  get  away  from 
the  pirates  even  with  their  sails  and  oars;  besides,  by 
shifting  the  long  gun  and  two  of  the  others  to  her 
stern  we  can  give  it  them  so  hot  that  even  if  they  are 
the  fastest  we  may  sicken  them." 

"I  do  not  know,  sir,"  Will  said.  "  They  would  be 
likely  to  hang  about  you  until  the  breeze  drops,  and 
then  to  attack  you  on  all  sides  at  once.  If  we  could 
but  keep  them  from  coming  through  the  channel  in 
pursuit  we  should  be  safe." 

"Ah!  but  how  on  earth  are  we  to  do  that?"  the  cap- 
tain asked. 

William  Gale  was  silent  for  a  minute  or  two. 


will's  proposal.  117 

"Have  you  plenty  of  powder  on  board  the  ship, 
sir?" 

"  Plenty — we  use  it  for  barter." 

"It  seems  to  me" — AVill  went  on — "that  if,  before 
sailing,  you  could  sink  a  couple  of  barrels  of  powder 
in  the  channel,  with  a  fuse  to  explode  them  a  few 
minutes  after  we  had  left,  the  Malays  would  be  so 
astonished  at  the  explosion  that  they  would  not  ven- 
ture to  pass  through." 

"Your  idea  is  a  capital  one,"  the  captain  said  warmly; 
"but  how  about  a  fuse  which  would  burn  under  water? 
What  do  you  think,  Tom;  could  it  be  managed?" 

"  I  should  think  so,  sir,"  the  mate  answered.  "Suppose 
we  take  one  of  those  empty  SO-gallon  beer  casks,  and 
fill  that  up  with  powder — it  will  hold  ten  or  twelve 
of  the  little  barrels;  and  then  we  might  bung  it  up 
and  make  a  hole  in  its  head.  Over  the  hole  we  might 
fix  a  wine-bottle  with  the  bottom  knocked  out,  and  so 
fastened  with  tow  and  oakum  that  the  water  won't 
get  in.  Then  we  might  shove  down,  through  the 
mouth  of  the  bottle  and  through  the  hole  below  it  into 
the  powder,  a  long  strip  of  paper  dipped  in  saltpetre 
to  make  touch-paper  of  it.  I  don't  know  as  a  regular 
fuse  would  do,  as  it  might  go  out  for  want  of  air;  but 
there  would  be  plenty  to  keep  touch-paper  alight.  We 
could  sling  three  or  four  18-pounder  shots  under  the 
bottom  of  the  cask  to  make  it  sink  upright.  Just 
before  we  slip  our  cables,  we  might  lower  it  down  with 
the  boats,  liditingj  the  fuse  the  last  thing,  and  sticking 


118  A   TORPEDO. 

in  the  cork.  If  we  don't  put  too  much  saltpetre  it 
might  burn  for  some  minutes  before  it  reached  the 
powder." 

"It's  worth  trying,  at  any  rate,"  the  captain  said, 
"  but  I  fear  it  would  not  burn  long  enough.  I  think 
that,  instead  of  a  bottle,  we  might  jam  a  piece  of  iron 
tube,  six  or  eight  feet  long,  into  the  head  of  the  cask, 
and  cut  a  bung  to  fit  it.  In  that  way  we  could  get  a 
o^ood  length  of  fuse." 

This  plan  was  carried  out.  A  large  cask  was  filled 
with  powder,  and  an  iron  tube  three  inches  in  diameter 
and  six  feet  long,  fitted  into  it,  and  made  water-tight. 
A  long  strip  of  paper,  after  being  dipped  in  water  in 
which  gunpowder  had  been  dissolved,  was  then  dried, 
rolled  tight,  and  lowered  down  the  tube  until  it  touched 
the  powder.  A  bung  was  cut  to  fit  the  top  of  the 
tube,  a  piece  of  wash-leather  being  placed  over  it  to 
ensure  its  being  perfectly  water-tight;  the  top  of  the 
fuse  was  then  cut  level  with  the  pipe.  Several  bits  of 
iron  were  lashed  to  the  lower  end  of  the  cask  to  make 
it  sink  upright,  and  the  cask  was  steadily  lowered  into 
a  boat  lying  alongside  the  ship,  in  readiness  for  use. 

The  sailors  entered  into  the  preparations  with  the 
glee  of  schoolboys,  but  the  machine  was  not  ready 
until  long  after  the  ship  had  been  towed  out  again 
through  the  channel,  and  moored  broadside  to  it  just 
outside. 


CHAPTER   YIII. 

THE   TOKPEDO. 

IT  was  about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  when 
the  watch  awoke  the  crew  with  the  news 
that  they  could  hear  the  distant  sound  o£ 
oars  coming  along  the  shore.  All  took  their  places  in 
silence.  After  a  time  the  rowing  ceased  and  all  was 
quiet  again.  Half  an  hour  passed  and  then  there  was 
a  slight  sound  close  alongside,  and  in  the  channel  they 
could  dimly  make  out  a  small  boat  which  was  rapidly 
rowed  away  into  the  darkness  again;  several  musket- 
shots  being  fired  after  it. 

"  They  have  sent  on  ahead  to  find  if  we  were  lying 
in  the  same  berth,"  the  captain  said.  "  I  expect  they 
will  be  puzzled  when  they  hear  that  we  are  outside 
and  that  the  entrance  is  guarded.  I  should  not  be 
surprised  if  they  did  not  attack  before  morning.  They 
had  such  a  lesson  yesterday,  that  I  don't  think  they 
will  try  to  force  the  channel  in  our  teeth  again;  but 
will  play  the  waiting  game,  sure  that  they  will  secure 
us  sooner  or  later." 

So  it  turned  out.     The  hours  passed  slowly  on,  but 


120  THE   PIRATE  FLEEl. 

no  sound  was  heard.  Then  in  the  dim  morning  light 
a  pirate  fleet  of  eight  prahus  was  seen  lying  at  a 
distance  of  half  a  mile  within  the  reef.  As  the  day 
broke,  the  breeze  sprang  up,  the  sails  were  hoisted,  and 
the  captain  prepared  to  slip  his  cables.  A  similar 
preparation  could,  through  the  glasses,  be  observed  on 
board  the  Malay  fleet. 

"  That  will  do  very  well,"  the  captain  said.  "  Those 
fellows  will  be  along  in  about  eight  or  ten  minutes 
after  we  have  started,  and  the  fuse,  according  to  the 
experiments  we  made  as  to  its  rate  of  burning,  will 
last  about  seven.  Now,  quick,  lads,  into  the  boat.  Tom, 
you  take  charge  of  the  sinking." 

In  another  minute  the  boat  was  rowed  to  the 
channel  and  the  cask  lowered  over  the  side.  It  was 
held  there  for  a  minute  while  the  mate  struck  a  light 
and  applied  it  to  the  touch-paper.  Then  he  pressed 
the  bung  firmly  into  the  top  of  the  tube,  the  lashings 
of  the  cask  were  cut,  and  the  boat  rowed  back  to  the 
ship.  The  anchors  were  already  on  board,  and  the  brig 
was  getting  way  on  her  as  the  boat  rowed  alongside.  The 
men  jumped  on  board,  and  the  boat  was  suff*ered  to  tow 
behind,  while  all  hands  set  the  whole  of  the  sails.  The 
vessel  was  soon  running  briskly  before  the  land-breeze. 

The  pirate  fleet  was  instantly  in  motion.  Every  eye 
in  the  ship  was  directed  towards  them. 

"  They  will  be  there  in  less  than  ten  minutes  from 
the  moment  I  lowered  the  cask,"  the  mate  said,  looking 
at  his  watch. 


THE    EXPLOSION.  121 

"  Not  much,"  the  captain  said,  "  they  are  rowing  fast 
now,  but  the  trees  keep  off  the  wind  and  their  sails 
do  not  help  them.  They  were  a  minute  or  two  behind 
us  in  starting." 

It  was  just  eight  minutes  from  the  time  when  the 
cask  had  been  lowered,  that  the  first  of  the  Malay 
boats  rowed  out  through  the  channel. 

"  I  hope  nothing  has  gone  wrong,"  the  mate  growled. 

"  I  am  not  afraid  of  that,  though  we  may  be  wrong 
a  minute  or  two  as  to  the  length  of  the  fuse." 

Another  boat  followed  the  first;  the  third  was  in 
mid-channel,  when  suddenly  she  seemed  to  rise  bodily 
in  the  air,  and  then  to  fall  into  pieces.  A  mighty 
column  of  water,  a  hundred  feet  high,  rose  into  the 
air,  mingled  with  fragments  of  wood  and  human  bodies. 
A  deep,  low  report  was  heard,  and  the  brig  shook  as 
if  she  had  come  into  collision  with  some  floating  body. 

Although  they  were  nearly  a  mile  away,  the  yell  of 
astonishment  and  fright  of  the  Malays  reached  the 
ship.  The  jjvahus  still  inside  the  reef  were  seen  to 
turn  round  mid  row  away  along  the  coast  at  the  top 
of  their  speed;  while  those  which  had  passed  the 
channel,  after  rowing  wildly  for  some  distance,  lay  on 
their  oars,  the  crews  apparently  stupefied  at  what  had 
taken  place.  The  craft  which  had  been  injured  the 
day  before,  still  lay  seaward  on  watch,  but  now  turned 
her  head  and  rowed  towards  the  shore  to  join  her 
consorts. 

The  Sea  Belle  left  the  coast.    The  Malays  attempted 


122  WILL  gale's,  plans. 

no  pursuit,  but,  so  long  as  they  could  be  seen,  remained 
inactive  near  the  scene  of  the  sudden  and,  to  them, 
inexplicable  catastro^^he  which  had  befallen  their 
consort.  Once  fairly  freed  from  all  fear  of  pursuit, 
the  captain  invited  the  two  lads  into  his  cabin,  and 
there  heard  from  them  an  account  of  all  the  adventures 
through  which  they  had  passed.  When  they  had 
finished  he  questioned  them  as  to  their  plans.  Hans 
said  that  he  intended  to  take  the  first  ship  bound  for 
Holland. 

"And  you?"  he  asked  Will. 

"  I  have  no  particular  plan,"  Will  said.  "  I  am  in  no 
hurry  to  return  to  England,  having  no  relatives  there. 
After  being  so  long  absent — for  it  is  now  a  year  since 
I  sailed  from  Yarmouth — I  should  not  care  to  return 
and  take  up  my  apprenticeship  as  a  fisherman." 

"Will  you  ship  regularly  on  board  the  Sea  Belief 
the  captain  asked. 

"  Thank  you,  sir,  I  think  I  would  rather  not  decide 
upon  anything  until  we  get  to  Calcutta.  I  have  £30 
in  money,  £15  of  which  were  given  me  on  board  the 
Dutch  ship,  and  the  rest  I  received  as  wages  for  the 
voyage  from  England  to  Java.  I  carried  the  money 
in  a  belt  round  my  waist,  and  have  kept  it  ever  since. 
So  I  need  not  be  in  any  great  hurry  to  settle  upon 
what  I  shall  do;  but  certainly,  after  a  regular  sea  life, 
I  should  not  like  to  go  back  to  being  a  fisherman.  I 
am  now  past  sixteen,  and  in  another  three  years 
shall  be  able  to  earn  more  waofes." 


AT   CALCUTTA.  123 

"I  should  have  taken  you  for  at  least  two  years 
older,"  the  captain  said ;  "  you  are  as  big  and  strong 
as  many  lads  of  eighteen." 

"  I  have  done  a  good  lot  of  hard  work  in  the  last 
two  years,"  Will  said;  "for  on  board  the  Dutch  ship, 
although,  of  course,  I  was  only  rated  as  a  boy,  I  used 
to  do  man's  work  aloft." 

Other  people  would  have  been  deceived  as  well  as 
the  captain.  Hard  work  and  exposure  to  the  air  had 
done  much  to  age  the  boy.  He  had  been  tall  and  slight 
for  his  age  when  he  left  the  workhouse,  and  while  he 
had  not  ceased  growing  in  height,  he  had  widened  out 
considerably ;  and,  had  he  asserted  himself  to  be  eigh- 
teen years  of  age,  few  would  have  questioned  the  state- 
ment. 

The  Sea  Belle  for  some  time  kept  south,  touching  at 
some  of  the  islands  where  a  trade  was  done  with  the 
Papuans;  then  her  head  was  turned  north,  and  after 
an  eventful  voyage  she  reached  Calcutta,  where  the 
captain  had  been  ordered  to  fill  up  with 'cotton  or  grain 
for  England. 

The  captain  at  once  landed,  and  proceeded  to  the 
ofiice  of  the  agent  of  the  firm  who  owned  the  Sea  Belle. 
He  was  shown  into  that  gentleman's  private  room, 
where  at  the  time  two  gentlemen  were  seated  chatting. 
The  agent  was  personally  acquainted  with  the  captain, 
and  asked  him  to  sit  down  and  smoke  a  cigar. 

"  This  is  Captain  Mayhew  of  the  Sea  Belle,"  he  said 
to  his  friends.     "He  has  been  trading  for  the   last 


124  THE    "SEA   BELLES      ADVENTURES. 

three  months  down  among  the  islands.  These  gentle- 
men, Captain  May  hew,  are  Major  Harrison  and  Captain 
Edwards,  who  have  just  arrived  from  China  with  their 
regiment  in  the  EuiDlirates.  Has  your  voyage  been  a 
pleasant  one,  captain  ? " 

"  Pleasant  enough,  sir,  on  the  whole ;  but  we  were 
attacked  by  the  Malay  pirates,  and  I  should  certainly 
not  be  here  to  tell  the  tale  at  present  had  it  not  been 
for  the  quickness  and  shrewdness  of  a  lad  who  had 
been  shipwrecked  on  the  coast." 

"How  is  that,  Mayhew?     Tell  us  all  about  it." 

Captain  Mayhew  related  the  whole  story  of  the  fight 
with  the  pirates,  saying  that,  unquestionably,  had  it 
not  been  for  Will's  pointing  out  the  passage  through 
the  reef  in  the  first  place,  and  his  idea  of  burying  a 
submarine  mine  in  the  second,  the  Sea  Belle  would  have 
fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  pirates. 

"But  where  did  the  boy  spring  from?  how  on  earth 
came  he  to  be  there?" 

Captain  Mayhew  then  related  the  story  of  William 
Gale's  adventures  as  he  had  them  from  his  own  lips. 

"  He  must  be  a  cool  and  plucky  young  fellow,  in- 
deed," Major  Harrison  exclaimed.  "  I  should  like  to 
see  him.  What  style  and  type  is  he,  captain?  a  rough 
sort  of  chap?" 

"  By  no  means,"  the  captain  answered.  "  He  is  sur- 
prisingly well-mannered.  Had  I  met  him  elsewhere, 
and  in  gentleman's  clothes,  I  do  not  think  that  I  should 
have  suspected  that  he  was  not  what  he  appeared.    His 


AN    INVITATION.  125 

features,  too,  somehow  or  other,  strike  one  as  being 
those  of  a  gentleman;  which  is  all  the  more  singular 
when,  as  a  fact,  he  told  me  he  had  been  brought  up  in 
a  workhouse." 

"  In  a  workhouse !"  Major  Harrison  repeated.  "Then 
I  suppose  his  parents  were  farm  labourers." 

"No,"  the  captain  answered;  "he  was  left  at  the 
door  on  a  stormy  night  by  a  tramp  who  was  found 
drowned  next  morning  in  a  ditch  near.  He  had,  when 
found,  a  gold  trinket  of  some  kind  round  his  neck; 
and  he  tells  me  that,  from  that  and  other  circum- 
stances, it  was  generally  supposed  by  the  workhouse 
authorities  that  he  did  not  belong  to  the  tramp,  but 
that  he  had  been  stolen  by  her,  and  that  he  belonged 
at  least  to  a  respectable  family." 

"  All  this  is  very  interesting,"  Captain  Edwards  said. 
"I  should  like  much  to  see  the  boy.  Will  you  come  and 
dine  with  us  this  evening  on  board  the  Euphrates — 
Mr  Reynolds  here  is  coming — and  have  the  boy  sent 
on  board,  say  at  nine  o'clock,  when  we  can  have  him 
in  and  have  a  chat  with  him  ? " 

Captain  Mayhew  readily  agreed.  William  was  even 
then  waiting  outside  for  him,  having  landed  with  him; 
and  the  captain,  when  he  entered  the  office,  had  told 
him  to  walk  about  for  an  hour  and  amuse  himself  with 
the  sights  of  Calcutta  and  then  return  and  wait  for 
him.  He  said  nothino-  about  his  beino^  close  at  hand, 
as  he  did  not  wish  the  officers  to  see  him  in  the  rough 
outfit  which  had  been  furnished  him  on  board  ship. 


126  RECOGNITION   OF  SERVICES. 

intending  to  surprise  them  by  his  appearance  in  decent 
clothes.  Accordingly,  on  leaving  Mr.  Reynolds'  office 
he  took  him  to  one  of  the  numerous  shops  in  the  town 
where  clothes  of  any  kind  can  be  procured. 

"Now,  Will,"  he  said,  "I  want  you  to  get  a  suit  of 
shore-going  clothes.  You  can  get  your  sea  outfit  to- 
morrow at  your  leisure;  but  I  want  you  to  show  up 
well  at  the  mess  this  evening,  and  a  suit  of  good  clothes 
will  always  be  useful  to  you." 

Captain  Mayhew  had  intended  to  pay  for  the  outfit 
himself,  but  this  Will  would  not  hear  of,  and  Captain 
Mayhew  was  the  less  reluctant  to  let  the  lad  have  his 
own  way,  as  he  had  in  the  course  of  the  interview 
with  the  ao'ent  ao-reed  that  the  lad's  services  deserved 
a  handsome  recognition  from  the  firm,  and  that  the 
sum  of  one  hundred  guineas  should  be  given  to  him  at 
once.  The  agent  felt  no  doubt  that  the  firm  would 
thoroughly  approve  of  the  payment.  Twenty  pounds 
were  to  be  given  to  Hans  for  his  share  of  the  services ; 
but  the  two  suggestions  which  had  saved  the  Sea 
Belle  had  both  originated  with  Will. 

By  Captain  Mayhew's  advice  Will  purchased  a  suit 
of  dark-coloured  tweed,  a  black  tie,  and  some  white 
shirts  and  collars.  At  other  shops  he  bought  some 
boots  and  a  panama  straw -hat.  Having  completed 
their  purchases  they  walked  for  some  hours  about  Cal- 
cutta, Will  being  delighted  with  the  variety  of  the 
native  costumes  and  the  newness  and  singularity  of 
everything  which  met  his  eye. 


WILL   IS    "RIGGED   OUT."  127 

On  their  return  to  the  ghaut,  as  the  landing-stage 
is  called,  they  found  their  various  purchases  already 
stowed  in  the  Sea  Belles  boat,  which  had  about  an 
hour  before  come  to  shore  to  fetch  them  off.  At 
seven  o'clock  Captain  Mayhew  went  otf  to  the  Eu- 
'phrates,  leaving  orders  that  the  boat  was  to  bring 
Will  over  at  nine.  At  that  hour  the  lad  was  dressed 
in  his  new  clothes,  which  fortunately  fitted  him 
well. 

"By  jingo,  \Yill,"  the  fii'st  mate  said  as  he  entered 
the  cabin,  "you  look  a  tip-topper,  and  no  mistake." 

The  n:ate  was  right;  the  lad  with  his  sun-burnt 
face,  quiet  manner,  and  easy  carriage,  looked  thoroughly 
at  home  in  his  attire. 

"I  don't  know  who  your  parents  were,  but  I  would 
bet  a  month's  pay  that  the  old  tramp  you  were  telling 
us  of  had  nothing  to  do  with  it;  for  you  look  every 
inch  a  gentleman  from  head  to  foot." 

\Yill  found,  on  gaining  the  deck  of  the  Euphrates^ 
that  orders  had  been  left  by  the  officer  in  command 
that  he  was  to  be  shown  into  the  saloon  cabin  upon 
his  giving  his  name  to  the  sergeant,  who  came  up  at 
the  sentry's  call.  He  was  at  once  conducted  below. 
For  a  moment  he  felt  almost  bewildered  as  he  entered; 
the  size  of  the  cabin,  the  handsomeness  of  its  fittings, 
the  well-laid  table  decked  with  fragrant  flowers,  so  far 
surpassed  anything  he  had  ever  seen  or  thought  of. 
He  was  conducted  to  the  head  of  the  table,  where 
Major  Harrison,  with  Mr.  Reynolds  on  one  hand  and 


128  THE  MESS   ON   THE   TROOPSHIP. 

Captain  Mayhew  on  the  other,  sat,  near  the  colonel 
commanding  the  regiment. 

Captain  Mayhew,  who  had  already  told  the  outline 
of  the  story,  smiled  quietly  to  himself  at  the  expres- 
sion of  surprise  which  crossed  the  faces  of  the  major 
and  Mr.  Reynolds,  as  well  as  of  the  other  officers  sit- 
ting near,  at  the  appearance  of  the  lad  he  introduced 
to  them.  The  colonel  ordered  a  chair  to  be  placed 
next  to  himself,  and  told  the  servant  to  fill  a  glass  of 
wine  for  Will,  and  entered  into  conversation  with  him. 

"  I  think,  gentlemen,"  he  said  after  a  minute  or  two, 
seeing  that  the  lad  did  not  touch  the  wine  that  was 
poured  out  for  him,  "  it  will  be  pleasanter  on  deck ;  for 
it  is  terribly  hot  here,  and  I  see  that  most  of  you 
have  finished  your  wine."  An  adjournment  was  at 
once  made  to  the  deck.  Here  cigars  were  lighted,  and 
the  colonel  and  senior  officers  taking  their  places  in 
some  of  the  easy-chairs  which  were  still  about,  the  rest 
gathered  round  to  hear  the  story,  which  Major  Harri- 
son had  promised  them  would  be  an  interesting  one. 

Captain  Mayhew  first  gave  his  account  of  the  fight 
between  the  Sea  Belle  and  the  pirates,  beginning  at 
the  point  when,  as  he  was  hotly  chased  and  despairing 
of  making  a  successful  defence,  the  canoe  with  the  two 
lads  in  it  came  out  to  him.  Then  Will  was  called  upon 
to  explain  how  he  came  to  be  there  at  that  moment. 
He  told  briefly  how  the  fishing-smack  was  sunk,  how 
he  had  saved  himself  by  clinging  to  the  bob-stay 
of  the  Dutch  Indiaman,  and  how  he  had  sailed  in  this 


INTERESTED   AUDITORS.  129 

vessel  to  Java,  and  was  on  his  way  in  her  to  China, 
when  wrecked  in  the  cyclone.  Here  his  audience  in- 
sisted upon  his  giving  them  full  details;  and  he  ac- 
cordingly told  them  the  manner  in  which  he  and  a  few 
of  the  crew  had  escaped;  how,  when  they  were  build- 
ing a  boat,  they  had  been  attacked  by  Malays,  and  all 
— except  another  lad  and  himself,  who  were  hiding  in 
a  tree — were  massacred  by  the  pirates;  how  they  had 
gone  inland  to  a  village,  where,  having  aided  the 
natives  when  attacked  by  a  hostile  tribe,  they  had 
been  most  kindly  received;  how  they  had  finally  ob- 
tained a  canoe  and  spent  their  time  in  fishing  in  hopes 
of  seeing  a  passing  sail,  until  the  Sea  Belle,  chased  by 
the  Malay  pirates,  had  appeared  ofi*  the  shore. 

There  was  a  genuine  murmur  of  approval  from  those 
thickly  clustered  round  as  the  lad  finished  his  story, 
and  the  colonel  warmly  expressed  his  approval  of  his 
conduct  under  such  exciting  circumstances. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  now  i "  he  asked. 

"  I  have  not  made  up  my  mind,  sir,"  the  lad  said.  "I 
expect  that  I  shall  ship  in  some  vessel  sailing  for  Eng- 
land shortly." 

"  Major  Harrison,"  the  colonel  said,  ''  will  you  and 
Captain  Mayhew  come  with  me  to  my  cabin  ?  I  should 
like  to  have  a  few  minutes'  private  chat  with  you," 
he  went  on,  putting  his  hand  on  Will's  shoulder.  A 
minute  or  two  later  the  three  gentlemen  and  Will  were 
seated  in  the  private  cabin. 

"Look  here,  my  boy,"   the  colonel   said;   "I   have 

(  274  )  I 


130  A   KIND    OFFER. 

heard  from  Major  Harrison  what  you  had  told  Captain 
Mayhew  concerning  your  birth;  and  certainly  your 
appearance  and  manner  go  far  to  sustain  the  belief 
that  the  tramp  who  left  you  was  not  your  mother,  and 
that  your  parents  were  of  gentle  birth.  I  do  not  say 
that  a  man's  birth  makes  much  difference  to  him;  still, 
it  does  go  for  something,  and  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten 
the  difference  both  in  face  and  figure  is  unmistakable. 
Unless  I  am  very  wrong  your  father  was  a  gentleman. 
However,  that  is  not  to  the  point:  it  is  your  quickness 
and  activity,  your  coolness  in  danger,  and  the  adven- 
tures which  you  have  gone  through  which  interest  us 
in  you.  Now  I  think  it  is  a  pity  that  a  lad  who  has 
shown  that  there  is  so  much  in  him  should  remain  a 
sailor  before  the  mast.  You  have  not  been  so  long  at 
sea  as  to  become  wedded  to  it,  and  to  be  unable  to 
turn  your  hands  to  anything  else.  Now,  what  do  you 
say  to  enlisting?  In  the  ranks  are  men  of  all  sorts — 
gentlemen,  honest  men,  and  blackguards.  The  steady 
respectable  man  is  sure  to  rise.  You  can,  the  captain 
tells  me,  read  and  write  well.  There  is  a  chance  of 
active  service  at  present,  and  when  there  is  active  ser- 
vice a  man  who  distinguishes  himself  gets  rapid  pro- 
motion. The  regiment  land  to-morrow  and  go  straight 
through  by  train  to  the  North.  There  is  trouble  in 
Afghanistan,  and  an  ultimatum  has  just  been  sent  to 
the  Ameer  that  if  he  does  not  comply  with  our  terms 
it  will  be  war,  and  we  hope  to  be  there  in  time  for  the 
beginning  of  it.    I  can  only  say,  that  if  you  like  to  join, 


THE   OFFER   ACCEPTED.  131 

Major  Harrison  and  myself  will  keep  our  eyes  upon 
you,  and  if  you  deserve  it  you  may  be  sure  of  rapid  pro- 
motion. You  have  greatly  interested  me  in  your  story, 
and  I  should  be  very  glad  to  give  a  helping  hand  to  so 
deserving  a  young  fellow.  It  is  not  usual,  certainly,  for 
a  regiment  to  take  recruits  in  India,  but  I  don't  sup- 
pose that  there  can  be  any  objection  to  it." 

"  Thank  you  very  much,"  Will  said  when  the  colonel 
ceased.  "  I  am  greatly  obliged  to  you  for  your  kind- 
ness. I  have  never  thought  about  the  army,  but  I  am 
sure  that  I  cannot  possibly  do  better  than  accept  your 
kind  offer.     The  only  thing,  sir,  is  about  my  age." 

"  Tut,  tut!"  the  colonel  interrupted,  "I  don't  want  to 
know  anything  about  your  age.  When  you  go  up  for 
attestment  you  will  say  that  you  are  under  nineteen, 
which  will  be  strictly  true.  I  will  give  a  hint,  and  no 
further  questions  will  be  asked.  Neither  I  nor  anyone 
else  know  that  you  are  not  past  eighteen,  and  in  time 
of  war  no  one  is  particular  as  to  the  age  of  recruits 
as  long  as  they  are  fit  to  do  their  duty.  You  must 
work  hard  to  pick  up  enough  knowledge  of  drill  to 
enable  you  to  take  your  place  in  the  ranks.  There  is 
neither  parade  work  nor  difficult  manoeuvring  in  the 
face  of  an  enemy,  and  you  can  finish  up  afterwards. 
Are  you  quite  agreed?" 

"Quite,  sir,"  Will  said  joyously,  "and  am  indeed  ob- 
liged to  you." 

"  Come  on  board  then  to-morrow  at  eight  o'clock, 
and  ask  for  Sergeant  Ringwood." 


132 

William  Gale  left  the  cabin  with  a  new  prospect  of 
life  before  him.  He  had  of  late  rather  shrunk  from 
the  thought  of  again  taking  his  place  as  a  ship-boy; 
and  the  prospect  of  adventures,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
advancement  which  might  befall  him  through  the  in- 
terest taken  in  him  by  the  colonel,  was  delightful  to 
him. 

The  last  words  the  colonel  had  said  when  he  left  the 
cabin  were:  "Say  nothing  about  the  workhouse,  and 
as  little  as  possible  of  anything  which  happened  before 
you  were  wrecked  on  the  island,  in  the  barrack-room." 

When  William  and  Captain  Mayhew  had  left  the 
cabin  Colonel  Shepherd  sent  for  Sergeant  Ringwood. 

"  Sergeant,"  he  said,  "a  young  fellow  will  come  on 
board  to-morrow  at  eight  o'clock  to  join  the  regiment 
as  a  recruit.  Take  him  at  once  to  the  surgeon  and  get 
him  passed.  I  know  we  shall  be  able  to  give  him  but 
little  drill  before  we  get  to  the  frontier;  but  do  all  you 
can  for  him  and  I  will  make  it  up  to  you.  He  is  a 
smart  young  fellow,  and  I  have  a  good  deal  of  interest 
in  him.  He  was  on  his  way  to  China  and  was  wrecked 
among  the  Malays,  and  has  gone  through  a  good  deal. 
Finding  himself  here  with  nothing  to  do,  and  with  a 
prospect  of  active  service  on  the  frontier,  he  has  decided 
to  enlist;  and,  as  he  is  a  gallant  young  fellow,  I  do  not 
wish  to  balk  his  fancy." 

The  sergeant  saluted  and  took  his  leave,  impressed 
with  the  idea — although  the  colonel  had  not  said  so — 
that  the  new  recruit  was  a  young  gentleman  who  had 


WILL  ENLISTS.  133 

joined  the  service  simply  for  the  sake  of  taking  part  in 
the  war. 

The  next  morning  Will  took  leave  of  his  friend  Hans, 
who  had  the  previous  day  shipped  on  board  a  Dutch 
ship  homeward  bound,  and  who  was  a  few  hours  later 
to  shift  his  berth  to  her,  after  he  had  been  on  shore  to 
fit  himself  out  in  clothes.  Hans  was  much  affected  at 
saying  good-bye  to  his  companion,  and  the  two  pro- 
mised to  correspond  with  each  other.  On  bidding  fare- 
well to  his  friend  the  captain  of  the  Sea  Belle,  the 
latter  informed  Will  that  Mr.  Reynolds  had,  on  behalf 
of  the  owners  of  the  Sea  Belle,  paid  £100  to  his  account 
into  the  Bank  of  Hindustan,  and  that  this  or  any  por- 
tion of  it  would  be  paid  to  his  order,  as  the  captain 
had  furnished  the  agent  with  a  slip  of  paper  upon 
which  Will  had  at  his  request  signed  his  name.  This 
had,  with  the  money,  been  deposited  at  the  bank,  so 
that  his  signature  might  be  recognized  and  honoured. 

On  reaching  the  Euphrates  Will  was  at  once  taken 
charge  of  by  Sergeant  Eingwood,  who  took  him  before 
the  doctor,  to  whom  the  colonel  had  already  spoken. 
The  medical  examination  was  satisfactory,  the  doctor 
remarking : 

"  You  are  rather  slight  yet,  but  you  will  fill  out  in 
time." 

The  age  was  asked,  and  given  as  under  nineteen,  and 
eio'hteen  was  inscribed  acfainst  him  in  the  books.  Then 
he  was  taken  before  the  colonel  and  attested,  and  was 
from  that  moment  a  member  of  the  regiment.     A  uni- 


134  A   JOURNEY    BY   TRAIN. 

form  was  served  out  to  him,  and  the  usual  articles  of 
kit.  The  sergeant  saw  that  his  belts  were  put  on  pro- 
perly and  his  knapsack  packed;  and  half  an  hour  after- 
wards he  fell  in,  with  his  musket  on  his  shoulder, 
among  the  troops  paraded  on  the  deck  of  the  Euijlirates 
prior  to  embarkation. 

So  quickly  had  it  all  been  managed  that  Will  could 
hardly  believe  that  he  was  awake,  as,  feeling  strangely 
hampered  by  his  belts  and  accoutrements,  he  descended 
the  accommodation  ladder  and  took  his  place  with  his 
new  comrades  on  board  one  of  the  great  native  boats 
and  rowed  to  the  shore. 

The  regiment  was  marched  direct  to  the  railway- 
station,  where  the  heavy  baggage  had  been  sent  on  the 
previous  day.  The  men  took  their  places  in  the  long 
train  which  stood  in  readiness,  and  half  an  hour  later 
steamed  north  from  Calcutta. 

Hitherto  none  of  his  comrades  had  spoken  to  Will. 
In  the  bustle  of  landing  all  had  enough  to  do  to  look 
to  themselves,  and  it  was  not  until  he"  found  himself 
with  eight  comrades  and  a  corporal  in  the  railway- 
carriage  that  he  was  addressed. 

"Well,  young  'un,"  one  said,  "what's  yer  name,  and 
where  do  you  come  from?  Calcutta  isn't  much  of  a 
place  for  recruiting." 

"I  was  on  my  way  to  China,"  Will  replied,  "and 
got  wrecked  among  the  Malays;  then  I  got  picked  up 
by  a  vessel,  and  we  had  some  hot  lighting.  Then  I 
was  landed  at  Calcutta,  and  seeing  nothing  much  to  do. 


A   POPULAR  CHARACTER.  135 

and  hearing  that  there  was  a  chance  of  a  fight  with  the 
Afghans,  I  thought  the  best  thing  to  do  was  to  enlist. 
My  name  is  William  Gale." 

"I  wasn't  quite  sure  that  you  were  an  Englishman; 
you  are  pretty  nigh  as  dark  as  them  copper-coloured 
niofcrers  here." 

"  So  would  you  be,"  Will  laughed,  "if  you  had  been 
living,  as  I  have,  for  ten  months  among  savages  without 
even  a  shirt  to  your  back." 

"  Tell  us  all  about  it,"  the  soldier  said.  "  This  is  a 
bit  of  luck,  mates,  our  having  someone  who  can  tell  us 
a  tale  when  we  have  got  such  a  long  journey  before  us." 

Will  made  his  story  as  full  as  he  could,  and  it  lasted 
a  long  time.  When  it  was  finished  the  men  expressed 
their  opinion  that  he  was  a  good  sort;  and  Will  having 
handed  over  to  the  corporal  a  sovereign  to  be  expended 
on  drinks  by  the  way,  as  his  footing  in  the  regiment,  he 
became  quite  a  popular  character,  and  soon  felt  at  home 
in  his  new  position. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

THE   ADVANCE   INTO   AFGHANISTAN. 


HERE  was  but  little  talking  in  the  middle 
of  the  day  in  the  train,  for  the  heat  was 
excessive.  All  the  men  had  taken  off  their 
coats  and  sat  in  their  shirt-sleeves.  But  they  were, 
nevertheless,  bathed  in  perspiration.  Late  at  night  the 
train  arrived  at  Allahabad.  Here  there  was  a  stop  till 
morning.  The  men  alighted  from  the  train,  and  lay 
down  on  their  folded  blankets,  with  their  knapsacks 
for  pillows,  on  the  platform  or  in  the  waiting-rooms. 
A  plentiful  supply  of  water  had  been  prepared  for  their 
use  at  the  station,  and  outside  were  several  water- 
carriers,  and  many  of  the  men  stripped  off  their  shirts 
and  had  water  poured  over  their  heads  and  bodies. 

Will  Gale  was  among  these,  and,  greatly  refreshed, 
he  enjoyed  some  fruit  and  cakes  which  he  purchased 
from  native  vendors ;  and  then  lying  down  on  a  bench 
in  the  station  was  soon  asleep.  Four  days'  travelling 
brought  them  to  the  end  of  the  railway.  They  were 
ferried  across  the  Attock,  and  then  their  real  work 
beean. 


A   HOT   MARCH.  137 

Although  it  was  now  late  in  September  the  heat  was 
still  intense.  Tents  were  struck  an  hour  before  day- 
break, and  by  eleven  o'clock  each  day  the  column 
was  at  its  halting-place.  It  was,  however,  hours  before 
the  tents  and  baggage  arrived.  Many  of  the  draft 
cattle  were  very  poor,  forage  was  scarce,  and  the  ar- 
rangements far  from  good.  The  consequence  was  that 
great  numbers  of  the  oxen  broke  down  and  died,  and 
many  of  the  troops  were  often  obliged  to  sleep  in  the 
air  owing  to  the  non-arrival  of  their  tents.  The  defects 
of  the  transport  were  aggravated  as  the  time  went  on, 
and  the  Norfolk  Rangers  fared  much  better  than  some 
of  the  troops  which  followed  them. 

The  regiment  was  destined  to  operate  in  the  Khuram 
valley  under  the  command  of  General  Roberts.  The 
advanced  column  of  this  division  consisted  of  the  7th 
company  of  Bengal  Sappers,  the  2.3d  Bengal  Pioneers, 
a  battery  of  horse  artillery,  one  of  Royal  Artillery,  and 
two  mountain  batteries,  a  squadron  of  the  10th  Hussars, 
and  the  12th  Bengal  Cavalry.  The  first  brigade  of 
infantry  comprised  the  2d  battalion  of  the  8th  Foot, 
the  29th  Bengal  Native  Infantry,  and  the  5th  Pun- 
jaub  Infantry.  The  second  brigade  consisted  of  the 
72d  Highlanders,  the  21st  Native  Infantry,  the  2d 
Punjaub  Infantry,  and  the  5th  Goorkhas.  The  place  of 
assembly  was  Kohat.  The  Norfolk  Rangers  were  to 
act  as  a  reserve. 

It  was  on  the  2d  of  October  that  the  Rangers  ar- 
rived at  Kohat,  heartily  glad  that  their  march  across 


138  HEAVY   DRILL. 

the  sandy  plains  of  the  Punjaub  was  at  an  end.  The 
other  regiments  comprising  the  force  poured  in  rapidly, 
and  on  the  9th  the  general  arrived  and  assumed  the 
command.  The  next  day  the  Punjaub  regiments  were 
sent  forward  to  Thull.  It  was  not  until  the  middle  of 
November  that  the  European  regiments  followed  them, 
and  the  six  weeks  were  by  the  Rangers  for  the  most 
part  employed  in  drill;  for,  after  their  voyage  and 
journey  up  the  country,  their  commianding  officer  con- 
sidered it  necessary  to  work  them  hard  to  get  them  to 
the  highest  state  of  discipline. 

William  Gale  was  worked  exceptionally  hard,  as  he 
had  in  that  short  time  to  learn  the  manual  and  platoon 
exercises,  and  to  pick  up  enough  of  drill  to  enable  him 
to  take  his  place  in  the  ranks.  Fortunately  he  carried 
himself  well  and  required  far  less  drilling  than  the 
majority  of  the  recruits.  By  the  time  that  the  regi- 
ment moved  forward  he  was  able  to  take  his  place  in 
his  company,  and  had  mastered  all  the  movements 
which  were  likely  to  be  necessary  in  the  campaign. 

The  road  between  Kohat  and  Thull  runs  in  a  valley 
between  mountains,  those  on  the  right  being  inhabited 
by  the  Waziries,  a  fierce  and  independent  tribe.  The 
regiment  which  had  first  marched  had  exercised  every 
precaution  against  an  attack.  The  convoys  of  stores 
and  provisions  sent  forward  had  always  been  accom- 
panied by  strong  escorts,  and  orders  were  issued  that 
officers  going  forward  on  duty  should  not  travel  without 
protection.     The  Waziries,  however,  contrary  to  expec- 


ON    THE   MARCH.  139 

tation,  remained  quiet,  probably  waiting  to  see  the 
turn  which  matters  took ;  for  had  we  suffered  a  repulse 
they  would  assuredly  have  taken  part  at  once  against 
us,  and  would  have  aided  in  massacring  fugitives  and 
robbing  baggage- waggons. 

The  march  to  Thull  occupied  five  days,  which  were 
very  pleasant  ones  to  William  Gale.  His  heavy  work 
at  drill  was  now  over:  he  was  no  longer  considered  a 
recruit,  but  ranked  as  a  soldier.  The  marches  were  not 
long,  and  for  many  hours  in  the  afternoon  the  high 
hills  threw  the  valley  in  shade;  and  the  soldiers,  after 
pitching  their  tents,  were  able  to  stroll  about  or  to  lie 
under  the  trees  in  which  the  valley  abounded.  The 
regiment  reached  Thull  on  the  18th  of  November,  and 
on  the  morning  of  the  21st  the  column  advanced. 

The  river,  whose  bed  was  500  yards  wide,  was  for- 
tunately now  low,  being  reduced  to  a  stream  of  40 
yards  wide  by  3  deep.  A  trestle-bridge  had  been 
thrown  across  it  for  the  use  of  the  infantry.  The  river 
was  distant  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  town.  No  op- 
position was  expected;  but  as  a  small  Afghan  garrison 
was  stationed  in  a  fort  at  Kapizang,  a  short  distance 
beyond  the  river,  an  attempt  was  to  be  made  to  cap- 
ture it.  The  29th  Punjaub  Infantry  first  crossed  the 
river  at  the  bridoe.  The  10th  Huzzars  forded  the 
river  and  extended  in  skirmishing  order  to  cut  oft'  the 
retreat  of  the  garrison.  When  they  reached  the  fort, 
however,  which  was  a  square  inclosure  with  round 
towers  at  the  corners,  it  was  found  that  the  garrison, 


140  ACROSS   THE   AFGHAN   FRONTIER. 

who  had  doubtless  received  warning  from  spies  in  Thull, 
had  abandoned  the  place  in  the  night. 

The  cavalry  were  now  sent  forward  to  reconnoitre, 
the  infantry  following,  and  the  advanced  force  halted 
at  Ahmed-I-shama  for  the  night.  Not  a  single  habi- 
tation was  passed  during  the  nine  miles  march.  The 
road  was  generally  a  mere  track,  6  feet  wide,  passing 
through  tangled  brakes  of  dwarf  pahns,  intersected  by 
stony  gullies  except  when  it  ran  along  the  steep  bank 
of  the  river. 

The  following  day  the  rest  of  the  first  brigade 
marched  up  to  Ahmed-I-shama,  while  the  advanced 
force  under  Colonel  Gordon  moved  on  to  Hazir-pir. 
The  Rangers  were  with  the  first  brigade,  but  not  with 
the  advanced  party.  This  was  composed  wholly  of 
native  troops,  consisting  of  the  Pioneer  regiments  and 
the  Sappers  and  Miners;  these  had  hard  work,  for  the 
road,  which  was  fifteen  miles  in  length,  was  scarcely  pas- 
sable for  wheeled  carriages,  and  the  guns  could  not  be 
taken  along  until  the  boulders  and  blocks  of  stone 
which  strewed  the  way  were  removed  or  blasted  into 
pieces. 

On  the  28d  the  Rangers,  with  the  Horse  Artillery 
battery  and  two  native  regiments,  marched  towards 
Hazir-pir;  but  the  diflSculties  of  the  road  were  so  great 
that  they  had  to  camp  for  the  night  four  miles  short 
of  that  place.  General  Roberts  and  the  headquarters 
went  forward  the  same  day. 

As  the  general  passed  along  the  road  the  head-men 


THE    KHURAM    VALLEY.  141 

of  all  the  villages  near  came  and  paid  their  respects,  and 
the  villagers  lined  the  roads  as  the  troops  passed,  offer- 
ing fowls,  eggs,  milk,  and  dried  fruit  for  sale.  As 
William  Gale  had  brought  a  supply  of  money  with  him, 
he  was  able  to  indulge  in  all  those  luxuries;  and,  indeed, 
as  the  men  had  had  few  opportunities  of  spending 
money  at  Thull,  all  were  well  supplied  with  cash.  The 
halt  at  Hazir-pir  was  then  a  very  pleasant  one.  Sup- 
plies of  grass,  fuel,  and  provisions  were  brought  in  in 
considerable  quantities  there;  but  much  difficulty  arose 
in  settling  the  terms  of  purchase,  as  coin  w^as  almost 
unknown  in  the  valley,  and  therefore  there  was  no 
established  price;  one  native  being  ready  to  sell  for  a 
few  coppers,  articles  for  which  another  demanded  as 
many  pieces  of  silver.  On  the  hills  around  a  consider- 
able number  of  sheep  were  seen  grazing,  but  the  natives 
did  not  care  about  selling  these,  which  indeed  be- 
longed for  the  most  part,  not  to  the  Turis,  the  tribe 
which  inhabit  the  valley,  but  to  nomad  Ghilzais,  who, 
like  the  Swiss  shepherds,  move  about  with  their 
charo'es  amono-  the  mountains  wherever  fodder  is  to  be 
obtained.  Khuram  valley  itself  is  bare  and  monoto- 
nous. With  the  exception  of  fruit-trees  planted  round 
the  villages,  scarce  a  tree  is  to  be  found;  but  each  vil- 
lage is  marked  by  a  huge  chunar  or  oriental  plane,  be- 
neath which  the  villagers  rest  during  the  noonday  heat. 
But  if  the  valley  itself  was  bare  and  desolate,  the 
scenery  around  was  lovely.  The  great  range  of  moun- 
tains known  as  the  Safaid-Koh  bound  the  valley  on 


142  A  STONY  VALLEY. 

the  east  and  north.  This  range  averages  14,000  feet 
high,  from  which  spurs  run  out  at  right  angles,  in- 
closing narrower  valleys  with  broiling  torrents  rushing 
through  boulders.  The  slopes  of  these  valleys  are 
covered  with  luxuriant  vegetation  till  the  limit  of  trees 
is  reached  at  a  height  of  about  11,000  feet,  above 
which  in  winter  the  snow  lies  thick,  while  in  summer 
it  furnishes  the  finest  pasture  to  the  Ghilzai  flocks  and 
herds. 

The  valley  lands  and  the  lower  slopes  of  the  hills 
are  laid  out  in  terraces,  and  irrigated  rice-fields  extend 
near  the  rivers.  Valley  and  hill  are  alike  covered 
with  stones  and  boulders,  Afghanistan  being  probably 
the  most  stony  country  in  the  world. 

On  the  24th  the  headquarters  with  the  cavalry  and 
two  regiments  moved  forward  ten  miles  and  encamped 
at  the  south  end  of  the  Darwazi  Pass,  the  road  leading 
to  open  broad  valleys  covered  with  dwarf  palms  and 
wholly  uncultivated.  On  the  25th  the  advanced  force 
crossed  the  pass,  which  was  a  gentle  slope  and  offered 
no  great  difficulty,  and  at  night  encamped  at  the 
Khuram  fort,  which  had  been  evacuated  by  the  enemy. 
The  buildinojs,  which  would  have  been  useful  for  the 
troops,  had  however  been  wrecked  by  the  Turis,  who 
have  a  deadly  hate  for  the  Afghans  their  masters,  and 
who  were  also  animated  in  their  work  of  destruction 
by  a  desire  to  obtain  wood,  which  is  exceedingly  scarce 
there. 

At  Khuram  there  are  two  forts,  the  one  120  yards 


RECONNOITRING.  143 

and  the  other  100  yards  square.  Inside  these  were 
quarters  for  the  governor,  and  huts  for  the  garrison 
and  officers,  and  in  the  smaller  forts  were  stables  for 
the  cavalry  forces.  This  place  was  made  the  head- 
quarters of  the  forces  in  the  Khuram  valley.  The 
general  now  rode  on  with  two  squadrons  of  the  12th 
Bengal  Cavalry  to  reconnoitre  in  the  direction  of  the 
Peiwar-Khotal,  towards  which  the  enemy  were  sup- 
posed to  be  retreating,  and  where  they  were  expected 
to  make  a  stand.  As  they  approached  the  village  of 
Peiwar  two  villages  were  seen  in  flames,  and  news 
was  brought  in  that  three  Afghan  regiments,  with 
twelve  guns,  had  lately  passed  through. 

The  natives  reported  that  they  were  encumbered  by 
their  guns,  and  that  forced  labour  was  procured  for 
the  purpose  of  removing  them.  Later  on  a  rumour 
came  that  the  twelve  guns  were  stuck  in  the  ravine  at 
the  foot  of  the  Khotal  or  pass. 

With  but  a  small  force  of  cavalry  at  his  command 
the  general  could  do  nothing,  and  so  returned  to 
Khuram  and  determined  to  hurry  up  the  troops  faster 
than  he  had  intended  so  as  to  capture  the  guns  re- 
ported— as  was  afterwards  proved  falsely — to  have 
been  left  behind  by  the  Afghans.  The  sick  and  all 
superfluous  baggage  were  left  behind  at  Khuram,  and 
on  the  28th  the  troops  moved  at  daybreak,  the  two 
brigades  marching  in  parallel  columns. 

The  cold  was  now  severe  at  night  although  it  was 
hot  in  the  daytime.     It  had  been  intended  to  halt  at 


144  THE  ADVANCE  TOWARDS   THE   PASS. 

Halid-Kitta,  four  miles  from  the  Khotal ;  but  the  intel- 
ligence arriving  that  the  Ameer's  troops  had  aban- 
doned their  guns  and  were  in  disorderly  retreat,  de- 
cided the  general  to  push  forward  at  once  to  the  Pei- 
war-Khotal,  seven  miles  further,  instead  of  waiting 
and  giving  the  enemy  time  to  strengthen  their  position. 
A  mile  from  the  foot  of  the  actual  ascent  of  the  Khotal 
lies  the  village  of  Turrai,  two  miles  and  a  half  beyond 
Peiwar.  Turrai  is  situated  in  a  valley,  the  ground  at 
whose  entrance  is  very  much  broken  up  by  the  shoul- 
ders and  spurs  of  the  hill.  The  left  column — the 
5th  and  29th  Punjaub  in  advance,  with  the  2d  bat- 
talion of  the  8th,  and  the  23d  Pioneers,  the  Rangers, 
and  two  guns  of  the  No.  1  mountain  battery  in  support 
— were  sent  to  the  left  with  instructions  to  turn  a  ridge 
forming  the  south  boundary  of  the  valley,  and  to  seize 
the  village  of  Turrai.  They  were  also  to  follow  up 
closely  any  body  of  retreating  Afghan  troops  that  they 
might  come  across.  The  light  brigade  were  to  march 
up  the  regular  road  to  the  Peiwar,  thus  supporting  the 
attack  of  the  left  brigade. 

The  left  brigade  followed  out  its  orders,  except  that 
the  regiment  in  support  did  not  go  round  the  southern 
side  of  the  spur,  but  kept  to  the  north.  No  enemy  was 
seen  on  the  south  side  of  the  spur,  so  when  a  track 
leading  across  to  Turrai  was  reached  the  troops  moved 
down  towards  the  village,  the  regiments  in  support 
advancing  at  the  foot  of  the  open  on  the  north  side. 
The  mountain  path  that  the  advanced  troops  were  now 


THE   SKIRMISH  AT   TURRAI.  145 

filing  clo^Yn  did  not  lead  directly  to  the  village,  but 
fell  into  the  valley  ahead  of  it  at  a  point  where  it 
widens  out  into  what  was  known  as  the  "punch-bowl 
valley"  at  the  foot  of  the  Peiwar-Khotal. 

As  soon  as  the  head  of  the  column  reached  this  spot 
they  came  in  sight  of  the  Afghans,  who  showed  them- 
selves in  great  numbers  on  the  crest  of  the  mountain 
far  above  their  heads.  •  As  the  troops  had  no  orders  to 
attack  so  formidable  a  position,  they  fell  back  towards 
Turrai,  which  was  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  the 
rear.  At  the  sight  of  this  movement  the  Afghans 
swarmed  down  a  spur  of  the  hill  and  commenced  an 
attack  on  the  regiments  that  were  moving  towards  the 
village.  The  29th  Punjaubees  climbed  the  hill,  and  a 
sharp  skirmish  ensued,  the  two  mounted  guns  coming 
into  action. 

While  this  was  going  on,  the  main  body  of  the  troops 
arrived  at  Turrai.  The  advanced  troops  were  recalled 
and  the  5th  Ghoorkas  were  advanced  to  cover  the  move- 
ment. As  it  was  now  seen  that  the  story  of  the  aban- 
donment of  the  guns  was  false,  orders  were  given  to 
pile  arms  in  the  village  and  to  encamp  there.  This 
step  was  an  imprudent  one,  as  the  Afghans  speedily 
showed.  While  our  men  were  sitting  or  lying  upon 
the  ground  waiting  for  the  baggage  to  arrive  the 
Afghans  brought  up  a  mountain-gun  from  the  main 
ridge,  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  distant,  to  the 
point  of  the  spur  overlooking  the  village  of  Turrai,  and 
opened  fire  at  1700  yards  range. 

(274)  ^  K 


146  SHELLED    OUT   OF   CAMP. 

The  astonishment  of  the  troops  when  the  first  shell 
fell  among  them  was  great.  Every  one  jumped  to  his 
feet  and  seized  his  rifle,  and  the  guns  of  the  Ro^^al 
Horse  Artillery  were  brought  at  once  into  action.  It 
was  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when  the  Afghans 
opened  fire.  Had  they  waited  for  a  few  hours,  brought 
up  another  gun  or  two,  and  made  a  night  attack  imme- 
diately after  opening  fire,  it  is  morally  certain  that  the 
imprudence  of  camping  in  such  a  position  would  have 
been  punished  by  a  disaster  which  might  have  vied 
with  that  of  Isandula.  Huddled  together  in  a  small 
village  surrounded  by  scrub,  and  impeded  as  the  troops 
would  have  been  by  the  basfSfaire  animals  and  native 
followers  rushing  in  terror  in  all  directions,  our  men 
would  have  been  taken  at  an  immense  disadvantasre. 
Fortunate  was  it  that  the  enemy  opened  fire  before  the 
darkness  set  in.  The  troops  were  at  once  ordered  to  fall 
back  a  mile  and  a  half  and  to  pitch  on  fresh  gi'ound. 

There  was  much  confusion  in  the  retreat,  as  the  road 
in  the  rear  was  crowded  with  the  baofaao-e  animals. 
The  spot  chosen  for  the  camp  was  a  rough  one,  for  the 
ground  was  covered  with  scrub  and  a  scattered  growth 
of  hill  oak  and  thorny  bushes,  and  was  broken  by  the 
remains  of  some  ancient  terraces,  but  as  the  jungle  and 
broken  ground  extended  for  three  and  a  half  miles, 
there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  take  up  the  best  posi- 
tion possible  under  the  circumstances.  The  troops 
bivouacked  on  the  ridge  of  a  ravine  with  steep  banks 
which  formed  a  line  of  defence  in  front  of  the  camp. 


A   WRETCHED    NIGHT.  147 

while  the  view  in  every  other  direction  was  obscured  by 
trees.  The  regiments  passed  a  wretched  night  on  the 
rough  ground.  Most  of  them  were  unable  to  find  their 
baggage,  which  was  wandering  in  the  scrub  in  the  dark, 
and  the  greater  part  of  the  troops  lay  down  on  the 
bare  ground  and  went  supperless  to  sleep  after  their 
fatiguing  march  of  twenty-one  miles. 

In  the  morning  both  men  and  cattle  were  greatly 
exhausted  by  their  long  marches  and  almost  sleepless 
nights,  and  General  Roberts  determined  to  wait  for  a 
day  or  two  to  reconnoitre  the  formidable  position  of 
the  enemy  before  undertaking  its  attack.  The  camp 
was  shifted  to  a  more  secure  site,  the  brushwood  and 
trees  were  cleared  away,  the  tents  pitched,  and  the 
troops  were  again  comfortable. 

A  reconnaissance  was  made  by  Colonel  Perkins, 
comn^anding  the  Royal  Engineers,  with  two  companies 
of  the  Pioneers.  He  ascertained  that  a  deep  ravine 
lay  between  the  ridge  on  which  they  were  encamped 
and  the  Khotal  itself,  and  that  it  was  impossible  to 
direct  an  attack  on  that  side.  Major  Collett  also,  with 
two  companies  of  the  23d,  proceeded  to  reconnoitre  the 
route  known  as  the  Spingawi  or  Cow  Pass.  This,  in- 
stead of  going  straight  up  the  hill  in  front,  wound 
round  its  foot  to  the  right  of  the  valley. 

Ascending  the  mountain  at  a  point  some  three  or 
four  miles  to  the  east  of  the  Peiwar-Khotal,  the  recon- 
naissance reached  the  summit  of  a  ridge  about  five 
miles  distant   from    the   camp    and    overlooking   the 


148  THE   SPINGAWI  PASS. 

Spingawi-Kliotal.  It  was  ascertained  that  the  road 
up  the  pass  seemed  easy  and  practicable  for  all  arms, 
that  the  top  of  the  pass  appeared  to  be  on  the  same 
ridge  as  the  Peiwar-Khotal,  and  that  a  force  working 
from  it  towards  the  Peiwar  would  pass  over  a  series  of 
dominating  positions.  It  did  not  appear  to  Major 
Collett  that  the  enemy  held  the  Peiwar-Khotal  in  force, 
although  there  was  a  gun  on  a  commanding  knoll  on 
the  south,  and  there  seemed  to  be  one  at  the  top  of  the 
pass.  The  road  from  the  village  of  Peiwar  to  the  top 
of  the  Spingawi  Pass  seemed  perfectly  easy  for  troops 
of  all  arms. 

The  next  two  days  were  spent  in  clearing  the  camp, 
and  so  far  as  possible  improving  its  military  position ; 
but  it  was  still  surrounded  by  thick  oak  jungle,  which 
would  have  afforded  cover  for  an  enemy  making  a 
sudden  attack.  A  further  reconnaisance  was  made  of 
the  Spingawi  Pass,  and  as  the  examination  confirmed 
Major  Collett's  report  it  was  determined  to  attack  by 
it.  Orders  were  issued  on  the  1st  of  December  for  a 
march  that  night.  The  regiments  which  were  to  form 
the  main  attack  by  the  Spingawi  plateau  route  were 
the  29th  Punjaub  Infantry  and  the  5th  Ghoorkas,  com- 
manded by  Colonel  Gordon  in  advance;  these  were  to 
be  followed  by  the  mountain  battery,  a  wing  of  the 
72d  Highlanders,  a  company  of  the  Rangers,  the  2d 
Punjaubees,  and  the  23d  Pioneers,  under  Brigadier- 
general  Thelwell.  Four  guns  on  elephants  were  to 
proceed  with  the  column.     The  5th  Punjaub  Infantry, 


A   WELL-KEPT   SECRET.  149 

the  8th  Regiment,  two  guns  Royal  Horse  Artillery, 
three  guns  Royal  Artillery,  and  the  5th  Bengal  Cavalry, 
the  whole  under  the  command  of  Brigadier-general 
Cobbe,  were  to  make  an  attack  on  the  Peiwar-Khotal 
direct. 

The  rest  of  the  force  was  to  remain  to  guard  the 
camp,  and  in  order  to  convince  the  enemy  that  a  front 
attack  upon  the  Peiwar-Khotal  Avas  intended,  a  party 
of  pioneers  with  an  engineer  officer,  and  a  covering 
party  of  the  8th  Regiment,  were  to  construct  a  battery 
near  the  village  of  Turrai.  Frequent  reconnoitring 
parties  had  also  been  sent  out  in  this  direction,  and  so 
well  was  the  secret  of  the  general's  intention  to  attack 
by  the  Spingawi  Khotal  kept  that  everyone  in  camp 
who  had  not  been  let  into  the  secret  was  confident  that 
the  Peiwar-Khotal  would  be  stormed  on  the  morrow. 
The  enemy,  although  those  in  camp  were  ignorant  of 
the  fact,  were  reinforced  on  the  1st  by  four  regiments 
of  infantry  with  a  mountain  battery,  and  on  their  side 
were  meditating  an  attack  upon  the  British  camp. 

The  regiments  which  had  freshly  arrived  were,  how- 
ever, fatigued  by  their  long  march,  and  the  assault  on 
our  camp  was  postponed  until  the  next  day,  and  the 
chance  of  its  coming  off  was  therefore  lost  for  ever.  To 
William  Gale's  great  satisfaction  a  company  of  the 
Rangers,  that  to  which  he  had  been  posted,  was  the  one 
selected  by  the  colonel  to  accompany  the  column  march- 
ing up  the  pass.  He  did  not  indeed  know  that  this 
was  the  route  by  which  they  were  to  advance,  but  he 


150  THE   EVE   OF   THE   CONFLICT. 

was  pleased  at  not  being  left  behind  with  the  regiment 
in  charge  of  the  camp. 

"  Well,  young  'un,"  a  corporal  said  to  him  that  even- 
ing, "we  are  going  to  be  under  fire  at  last,  and  a  nice 
climb  we  shall  have  of  it;  it  puts  one  out  of  breath  to 
look  at  that  steep  road  running  up  the  hill,  and  when 
it  comes  to  fighting  one's  way  up  it,  with  cannon  and 
Afghans  on  the  top,  we  shall  find  it  hard  work." 

"I  expect,"  William  answered,  "  that  we  sha  n't  go  up 
it  at  any  extraordinary  pace;  if  we  skirmish  up,  as  I 
expect  we  shall,  from  rock  to  rock,  we  shall  have  plenty 
of  time  to  get  our  wind  at  each  halt.  We  are  not  to 
take  our  knapsacks,  so  we  shall  fight  light,  and  we 
have  not  much  extra  weight  to  carry.  What  with  the 
heat  and  what  with  the  long  marches,  I  should  think 
I  must  have  lost  a  stone  in  weight  since  we  landed  in 
Calcutta." 

"  I  don't  think  you  have  lost  weight  at  all,"  the  cor- 
poral said;  "it  seems  to  me  that  you  have  grown  and 
widened  out  in  the  two  months;  and  only  yesterday, 
when  I  was  sizing  the  company,  I  had  to  move  you  two 
men  higher;  for  a  young  'un  you  stand  the  fatigues 
well." 

"  I  am  all  right,"  Will  said,  "  except  that  I  have  got 
some  frightful  blisters  on  my  feet.  I  was  not  going  to 
say  an}  thing  about  it,  because  I  should  have  been  kept 
in  hospital  and  left  behind  at  Khuram,  but  I  have 
hardly  known  how  to  march  the  last  few  days.  I 
don't  think  I  could  possibly  have  managed  it  if  I  had 


PUTTIES.  151 

not  adopted  the  native  dodge  of  wearing  putties,  which 
I  have  greased  well  on  the  inside,  and  wear  instead  of 
stockings." 

Putties,  it  may  be  said,  are  slips  of  woollen  cloth 
about  two  and  a  half  yards  long  and  three  inches 
wide,  with  a  tape  sewn  into  one  end.  They  are  wound 
round  and  round  the  leg,  from  the  ankle  to  below  the 
knee,  and  secured  by  the  end  being  tied  with  the  tape. 
Nearly  every  one,  officers  and  men,  wore  them  through 
the  campaign.  For  a  long  march  there  could  be  no 
doubt  that  these  bandasjes,  wound  round  the  foot  in- 
stead  of  stockings,  are  very  preferable,  as  they  obviate 
the  liability  to  foot-sores.  Even  with  well-made  boots 
all  pedestrians  may  at  times  suffer  from  sore  feet,  but 
the  liability  is  immensely  increased  when,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  British  soldier,  the  boots  are  coarse,  roughly 
sewn,  and  frequently  ill-fitted. 


^:^ 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE   PEIWAR-KHOTAL. 

T  ten  o'clock  at  night  on  the  1st  of  Decem- 
ber the  troops  detailed  for  the  attack  mus- 
tered in  the  camp.  The  assembly  took 
place  without  sound  of  bugle,  and  even  the  necessary 
words  of  command  were  given  in  a  low  tone.  Through 
the  still  night  air  the  Afghans  on  the  hills,  little  more 
than  two  miles  away,  would  have  heard  the  stir.  It 
was  a  very  dark  night  although  the  stars  shone  clear. 

"Where  can  we  be  going?"  William  Gale  asked  the 
soldier  next  to  him.  "  We  are  going  right  away  from 
the  pass  instead  of  towards  it." 

"  So  we  are ! "  the  soldier  replied.  "  I  am  blest  if  I 
know  what  we  are  up  to,  and  it's  so  precious  dark  that 
I  can  scarcely  see  the  file  before  me.  I  hope  we  ain't 
going  to  fight  in  the  dark,  anjdiow.  What  would  be 
the  good  of  being  a  marksman  when  you  cannot  see  the 
end  of  your  own  rifle,  let  alone  the  man  you  are  firing 
at?" 

"  Oh !  we  can't  be  going  to  attack  in  the  dark,"  Will 
said.     "  I  expect  we  have  got  a  long  march  before  us, 


A   NIGHT   MARCH.  153 

and  are  going  to  work  round  somehow  and  take  them 
in  rear." 

"  Well,  I  hope  whoever  is  acting  as  guide  can  see 
better  in  the  darkness  than  I  can,  else  we  are  safe  to 
lose  our  way,  and  may  find  ourselves  anywhere  in  the 
morning.  Confound  it!"  the  exclamation  was  elicited 
by  the  speaker  stumbling  over  a  boulder  and  nearly 
going  on  to  his  head. 

"  Silence  in  the  ranks  there!"  an  officer  said  close  by. 

Each  regiment  was  followed  by  its  ammunition 
mules  and  hospital  doolies,  the  latter  being  covered 
stretchers  or  palkies  carried  by  natives;  besides  these 
were  dandies  or  chairs  slung  upon  mules.  This  greatly 
added  to  the  difficulty  of  a  night  march ;  for,  even  in 
the  daytime  the  presence  of  baggage  animals  in  a 
column  upon  a  narrow  road  greatly  hinders  the  troops, 
and  at  night  the  delays  occasioned  by  them  are  natur- 
ally very  much  greater.  For  the  first  three  and  a  half 
miles  the  column  marched  away  from  the  enemy  upon 
the  Khotal,  and  the  surprise  of  the  soldiers  increased 
at  every  step  they  took. 

At  the  end  of  that  time  they  arrived  at  the  village 
of  Peiwar.  Here  they  turned  to  the  left,  and  after 
crossing  several  ravines  and  stony  water-courses,  ar- 
rived on  a  cultivated  terrace  and  kept  along  this  till 
they  reached  a  very  stiff  nullah  twenty  feet  deep.  The 
night  was  bitterly  cold,  the  bank  of  the  nullah  was 
extremely  slippery,  and  the  boulders  in  the  water- 
course below  coated  with  ice,  the  difficulty  of  getting 


154  TROUBLES   IN    THE   DARK. 

the  loaded  animals  across  in  the  darkness  was  therefore 
very  great.  The  passage  of  the  various  water-courses 
caused  great  delays,  and  it  was  difficult  to  keep  the 
column  together  in  the  dark.  At  each  passage  the 
rear  was  immensely  delayed  while  the  leading  troops 
were  passing,  and  these  again  had  to  be  halted  while 
those  behind  them  struggled  over  the  difficulties. 

The  men  suffered  much  from  cold,  as  the  pace  was 
so  slow  that  they  could  not  warm  themselves,  and  the 
mounted  officers  specially  suffered  in  their  hands  and 
feet.  At  midnight  the  ravine  leading  up  to  the  Spingawi 
Pass  was  reached;  but  so  dark  was  it  that  the  2d  Pun- 
jaubees,  separated  by  a  few  yards  from  the  regiment 
in  front  of  them,  marched  straight  on  instead  of  turn- 
ing up  it;  and  the  2'2d  Pioneers  and  the  four  artillery 
guns  carried  on  elephants,  being  behind  them,  naturally 
went  astray  also. 

Brio'adier- general  Thelwall,  who  commanded  the 
column,  was  at  the  head  of  his  brigade,  and  was  for 
some  time  unaware  of  the  absence  of  two  of  his  regi- 
ments; but,  after  halting  and  finding  that  they  did 
not  come  up,  sent  back  a  mounted  officer,  who,  after  a 
two-mile  ride,  came  up  with  the  missing  troops  and 
guided  them  back  to  the  point  where  they  had  left  the 
route. 

From  the  foot  of  the  ravine  to  the  top  of  the  pass  is 
six  miles  in  distance;  and,  dark  as  it  was  in  the  open, 
it  was  still  more  so  in  the  ravine  shadowed  by  the 
steep  hills  on  either   side.     As  the  ascent  continued 


TREACHEROUS   SHOTS.  155 

the  road  became  worse,  the  boulders  beino-  laro-er,  and 
the  holes  and  dried-up  pools  deeper.  The  darkness 
and  the  prevailing  white  colour  of  the  stones  prevented 
the  difference  of  level  being  observed,  and  many  of  the 
men  had  heavy  falls,  as  the  steep  sides  of  these  pools 
were  often  from  two  to  four  feet  deep. 

After  marching  for  a  mile  and  a  half  up  the  ravine 
the  report  of  a  rifle  was  heard  in  the  ranks  of  the 
29tli  Punjaubees,  who  were  leading  the  column,  fol- 
lowed instantly  by  another  discharge.  Colonel  Gor- 
don commandino'  the  reoiment  halted,  and  he  and  the 

O  CD  ' 

general  tried  in  vain  to  discover  who  had  fired.  No 
one  could  or  would  identify  them,  and  this  seemed 
clearly  to  prove  that  the  rifles  had  been  fired  as  a  signaJ 
to  the  enemy,  for  they  had  not  been  loaded  before  the 
column  started. 

The  Punjaubee  regiments  contained  many  hill  tribes- 
men— men  closely  connected  by  ties  of  blood  and 
religion  with  the  enemy  whom  they  were  marching  to 
attack.  A  non-commissioned  officer  and  several  of  the 
men  who  were  just  about  the  spot  where  the  guns 
had  been  fired  were  placed  under  arrest  and  sent  back. 
It  was  afterwards  found  that  two  of  their  rifles  had 
been  discharged,  and  the  men  who  fired  and  their  non- 
commissioned officer  were  tried  by  court-martial  for 
treachery,  and  were  hung. 

After  these  men  had  been  sent  back, the  othGhoorkas, 
the  company  of  Rangers,  and  two  companies  of  the 
7:^d,  passed  the  23d  Punjaubees  and  took  their  places  at 


156  A   MYSTERIOUS   DISAPPEARANCE. 

the  head  of  the  column.  In  the  course  of  the  march  a 
good  many  other  men  of  the  2.3d  left  the  column  in 
the  dark  and  made  their  way  back  to  camp.  It  turned 
out  afterwards  that  the  Afghan  sentries  at  the  top  of 
the  pass  heard  the  reports  and  woke  up  the  commander 
of  the  post,  who,  hearing  no  further  cause  of  alarm, 
took  no  action  in  the  matter. 

Had  the  traitors  waited  until  the  column  was  within 
a  mile  of  the  top  of  the  pass,  the  Afghans  would  as- 
suredly have  taken  the  alarm;  but,  firing  at  a  distance 
of  four  and  a  half  miles,  they  failed  in  the  desired 
effect.  The  advance  was  resumed  up  the  bed  of  the 
stream  for  another  mile  and  a  half.  About  three  in 
the  morning  the  main  water-course  was  quitted,  the 
road  now  entering  a  ravine  to  the  left,  up  which  three 
miles  further  on  was  the  summit  of  the  pass.  The 
column  continued  its  weary  way  up  the  ravine,  slowly 
stumblino-  along  in  the  dark. 

One  incident  occurred  in  this  part  of  the  road  show- 
ing the  necessity  in  night  marching  for  the  regiments 
to  keep  close  to  each  other.  In  one  place  a  fir-covered 
island  lay  in  the  middle  of  the  ravine,  the  torrent's 
bed  lying  on  either  side  of  it.  When  the  two  com- 
panies of  the  72d  Highlanders,  who  had  been  following 
close  to  that  of  the  Rangers,  came  to  the  spot  they  were 
surprised  to  find  that  the  troops  in  front  had  suddenly 
vanished.  No  explanation  could  be  given  as  to  the 
cause  of  this  disappearance,  so  the  company  were  halted 
until  the  mystery  was  solved.     The  leading  regiment 


IN   FACE   OF   THE   FOE,  157 

had  taken  the  passage  to  the  right  of  the  island,  while 
the  72d  had  gone  to  the  left,  the  separation  of  the 
roads  being  unnoticed  in  the  dark.  Had  the  roads 
diverged  instead  of  reuniting,  much  inconvenience 
might  have  been  caused  by  the  delay  in  collecting  the 
separated  portions  of  the  force. 

At  last  the  foot  of  the  Khotal  was  reached,  where 
the  track  left  the  ravine  and  turned  up  the  spur.  The 
two  guides,  natives  of  the  country,  who  had  led  the 
head  of  the  column  to  this  point,  refused  to  go  any 
further;  and  as  the  column  was  now  at  the  point 
where  the  fighting  might  begin,  they  were  allowed  to 
depart.  It  was  about  six  o'clock  when  the  Ghoorkas 
began  to  climb  the  spur.  The  morning  had  broken, 
but  it  was  still  dark,  and  the  path  was  almost  invisible 
in  the  shadow^  of  the  trees. 

The  Ghoorkas,  their  rifles  loaded  now,  made  their 
way  quietly  up  the  hill.  Presently  the  challenge  of 
the  sentry  was  heard,  followed  by  two  shots.  It 
was  a  relief  to  the  men,  after  ten  hours  of  weary 
stumblino^  along  in  the  cold  and  darkness,  to  know 
that  they  were  at  length  face  to  face  with  their  foe. 
Cold  and  fatigue  were  at  once  forgotten,  and  with  eyes 
strained  through  the  darkness,  and  rifles  ready  for  use, 
every  man  pressed  forward.  Fifty  yards  up  the  hill, 
behind  the  sentry  who  had  fired,  was  the  first  stockade 
of  the  enemy,  formed  by  several  large  trees,  which  had 
been  felled  so  as  to  completely  block  up  the  road,  pre- 
senting an  obstacle  of  about  eight  feet  high  to  the  at- 


158  THE   STOCKADES   CARRIED. 

tacking  force.  The  Afghan  pickets  lining  the  stockade 
poured  a  volley  into  the  Ghoorkas,  who,  led  by  Major 
Fitzhugh  and  Captain  Cook,  made  a  rush  at  the  place. 

For  a  few  minutes  there  was  a  fierce  fight  at  the 
trees;  but  as  fresh  assailants  momentarily  poured  up, 
the  obstruction  was  scaled,  and  the  Afghans  retired  on 
a  second  stockade  eighty  yards  back.  Here  another 
stand  was  made,  but  the  spur  being  a  little  wider,  the 
Ghoorkas  were  able  to  work  round,  and  taking  the 
defence  in  flank  soon  drove  the  Afghans  back.  Beyond 
this  point  the  ground  was  clear  of  trees,  and  the  road 
ran  in  short  zigzags  up  the  steep  hill  to  the  breast-work 
w^hich  lined  the  edge  of  the  top  zigzag. 

A  mountain  gun  at  this  point  swept  the  approach 
to  the  position,  while  the  hill  at  its  back  was  now 
covered  with  Afghans,  who  opened  a  heavy  fire  upon 
the  troops  as  in  the  dim  morning  light  they  issued 
from  the  trees.  By  the  time  that  the  Ghoorkas  and 
the  Rangers  had  cleared  the  second  stockade,  the  wing 
of  the  72d  Highlanders,  ascending  by  the  right  flank, 
had  made  their  way  up  to  the  front,  and  the  whole 
now  advanced  together.  As  quickly  as  possible  they 
pushed  up  the  hill  under  the  heavy  fire  of  the  enemy. 
The  latter  fought  well,  and  a  number  of  them  were 
killed  before  retiring.  At  the  defence  erected  at  the 
top  of  the  zigzag  so  obstinately  did  the  Afghans  in 
front  hold  their  ground  that  their  comrades  behind 
were  enabled  to  remove  their  mountain  gun. 

To  the  right  of  the  enemy's  position  was  a  knoll,  and 


CAPTAIN    HERBERT   SAVED. 


A   HAND-TO-HAND    STRUGGLE.  159 

the  72d  at  once  took  possession  of  this,  and  t^YO  moun- 
tain guns  were  brought  up  to  their  assistance.  The 
Afghans  were  seen  in  great  numbers  in  the  broken 
ground  ahead.  The  Ghoorkas  and  the  little  body  of 
Rangers  pushed  on  against  them.  Presently  the  enemy 
gathered  and  made  a  rush  down  upon  them,  and  a 
desperate  hand-to-hand  tight  took  place  for  a  few 
minutes.  The  men  were  scattered  among  the  trees  and 
each  fought  for  himself.  William  Gale  had  just  re- 
loaded his  rifle  when  he  saw  Captain  Herbert,  who 
commanded  his  company,  fall  to  the  ground,  and  three 
Afghans  spring  forward  to  finish  him.  With  a  bound 
Will  reached  the  side  of  the  officer.  Two  of  the  Afghans 
had  already  discharged  their  pieces,  the  third  levelled 
and  fired.  So  close  was  he  that  the  flash  almost  burnt 
the  soldier's  face,  and  he  felt  a  sharj^  pain  as  if  a  hot 
iron  had  passed  across  his  cheek.  In  an  instant  he 
shot  his  assailant  dead,  and  then  with  bayonet  stood 
at  bay  as  the  other  two  Afghans  rushed  upon  him. 
They  had  drawn  their  tulwars  and  slashed  fiercely  at 
him;  but  he  kept  them  off  with  his  bayonet  until  a 
Ghoorka,  running  up,  cut  down  one  of  them  with  his 
kookerie,  a  heavy  sword-like  knife  which  the  Ghoorkas 
carry,  and  which  they  always  employ  in  preference  to 
the  bayonet  in  fighting  at  close  quarters.  The  remain- 
ino^  Af orhan  at  once  took  to  flio^ht. 

The  29th  Punjaubees  had  now  come  into  action,  and 
the  Afghans,  disheartened  at  the  loss  of  their  position, 
fell  back  and  withdrew  into  the  woods  which  cover  the 


160  FEELING   THEIR   WAY. 

plateau.  At  half -past  seven  o'clock  the  Avhole  force, 
except  the  elephant  guns,  had  reached  the  plateau;  and 
General  Roberts  was  able  to  flash  the  news  of  the  suc- 
cessful capture  of  the  enemy's  first  position  to  Brigadier- 
general  Cobbe,  who  was  in  command  of  the  force  which 
was  to  operate  direct  against  the  Peiwar-Khotal.  A 
rest  was  given  the  troops  after  their  long  march,  and 
at  half-past  nine  they  again  fell  in  for  the  attack  upon 
the  pine-covered  slopes  in  the  direction  of  the  Peiwar- 
Khotal.  How  strong  were  the  enemy  who  might  be 
lurking  there  they  knew  not.  But  it  was  certain  that 
he  would  fight  obstinately,  and  in  so  dense  a  forest 
much  of  the  advantage  gained  by  drill  and  discipline 
is  lost. 

A  chano'e  was   made  in  the  order  of  the  advance. 

o 

The  troops  who  had  before  led  the  advance  and  had 
done  the  fighting  were  now  placed  in  the  rear,  and  the 
23d  Pioneers  led  the  way,  followed  by  the  2d  and  29th 
Punjaubees.  The  column  crossed  the  plateau  without 
opposition,  and  began  the  ascent  towards  the  enemy's 
position  in  the  woods.  Considerable  caution  was 
needed,  as  no  one  had  any  knowledge  of  the  country, 
and  all  were  ignorant  of  the  position  and  numbers  of 
the  enemy,  who  might,  for  aught  they  knew,  be  mass- 
ing in  great  numbers  for  an  attack  upon  the  front  or 
one  of  the  fianks.  The  line  of  skirmishers  entered  the 
pine- wood  near  the  rocky  hillside,  and  a  rolling  fire  of 
musketry  soon  told  that  they  were  engaged  from  end 
to  end  of  the  line.     It  was  slow  work,  for  fallen  trees, 


A   FIGHT   ON    THE   HILLSIDE.  161 

rocks,  and  bushes  everywhere  hampered  the  advance. 
Still  the  skirmishing  line,  reinforced  from  behind, 
pushed  forward  steadily,  and  presently  cleared  the 
Afghans  off  the  hillside. 

When  the  troops  reached  the  top  they  found  a  valley 
in  front  of  them,  and  from  the  woods  on  the  opposite 
side  so  heavy  a  musketry  fire  w^as  kept  up  that  it  was 
evident  the  Afghans  intended  to  make  a  desperate 
stand  here.  The  valley,  or  rather  ravine,  was  a  narrow 
one:  fifty  yards  wide  at  its  foot,  and  scarce  three  times 
as  much  from  brow  to  brow.  The  enemy,  hidden  among 
the  trees,  could  not  be  made  out  except  by  their  con- 
tinual fire.  They  did  not  content  themselves,  how- 
ever, with  the  mere  defence  of  their  side  of  the  hill, 
but  from  time  to  time  large  numbers  charged  down 
and  tried  to  force  their  way  up  that  held  by  the  British. 

Each  time,  however,  when  they  attempted  this  the 
Punjaubees  drove  them  back  with  slaughter.  It  was 
clear  that  the  Afofhans  were  in  o-reat  numbers,  for  their 
line  extended  for  a  mile  and  a  half  along  the  hillside. 
Major  Anderson  of  the  2.3d  Pioneers,  after  repulsing 
one  of  these  attacks,  led  four  companies  to  the  assault 
of  the  Afghan  position,  and  drove  the  enemy  back 
for  some  little  distance;  but  Major  Anderson  fell  and 
the  party  retired. 

Colonel  Curry,  who  commanded  the  regiment,  again 
led  the  men  forward,  and  for  a  time  a  hand-to-hand 
fight  took  place.  For  two  hours  the  rifle  contest 
continued  without  cessation.      The   storm  of  bullets 


162  THE  DIRECT   ATTACK. 

was  tremendous,  but  no  very  great  execution  was  done 
on  either  side,  both  parties  lying  behind  the  shelter 
of  trees.  So  far  no  advantage  had  been  gained  by 
the  British,  and  General  Roberts  felt  that,  with  the 
force  under  his  command,  it  would  be  rash  to  attempt 
to  carry  so  strong  a  position  held  by  a  greatly  superior 
force.  In  the  meantime  the  attack  upon  the  Peiwar- 
Khotal  from  the  valley  had  commenced.  Before  day- 
light Brigadier-general  Cobbe,  with  the  5th  Punjaub 
Infantry  and  the  8th  Regiment  left  camp,  his  object 
being  to  co-operate  with  the  flank  attack.  The  8th 
Regiment  moved  directly  towards  the  pass,  while  the 
5th  Punjaubees  climbed  one  of  the  principal  spurs  be- 
tween the  Peiwar  and  Spingawi  Khotals. 

The  ascent  was  extremely  difficult,  and  it  took  the 
troops  six  hours  to  reach  the  summit.  During  the  last 
portion  of  the  ascent  they  came  under -the  Are  of  the 
enemy.  When  near  the  summit  Major  Macqueen  of 
the  5th  Punjaubees  saw,  through  an  opening  in  the 
pine-wood,  the  Afghan  camp,  with  their  baggage  ani- 
mals, which  were  placed  for  shelter  in  the  glade  behind 
the  Peiwar-Khotal.  Two  mountain  guns  were  at  once 
brought  up  and  a  fire  opened  upon  the  Afghan  camp. 
In  a  few  minutes  the  tents  caught  fire,  the  animals 
stampeded  in  all  directions,  and  the  enemy  in  front, 
seized  with  a  panic,  began  rapidly  to  retreat.  The 
Afghan  troops  facing  General  Roberts'  column,  when 
they  found  their  comrades  on  their  right  retreating, 
began  to  draw  off,  and  the  fire  sensibly  diminished. 


DIFFICULT   GROUND.  163 

The  movement  was  accelerated  by  the  four  elephant 
guns,  which  had  at  length  come  up,  opening  fire  into 
the  pinewood  forest.  As  the  fire  slackened,  a  recon- 
naissance of  the  hill  was  made  by  General  Ptoberts 
and  his  staff";  but  the  result  showed  that  the  mountain 
was  so  covered  with  pines  and  brushwood  that  it 
formed  an  almost  impenetrable  barrier  to  the  advance 
of  troops,  for  the  growth  was  so  thick  that  it  was 
impossible  to  say  in  which  direction  any  movement 
should  be  made.  The  experience  gained  in  the  last 
six  hours  of  hard  fio-htino;  had  shown  how  difficult  it 
was  to  keep  command  over  troops  scattered  along  a 
front  of  half  a  mile  lono-  in  the  forest  where  nothino- 
could  be  seen  beyond  a  radius  of  a  few  yards. 

The  general  therefore  determined  to  desist  from  the 
attempt  to  force  his  way  direct  to  the  top  of  the 
Peiwar-Khotal,  and  to  march  to  his  left,  and  so  by 
menacing  the  Afghan  line  of  retreat  to  hasten  the 
movement  towards  the  rear  which  had  evidently 
begun.  The  men  were  therefore  brought  back  to  the 
plateau  to  the  east  of  the  ravine. 

Here  they  were  halted  for  a  time,  and  the  contents  of 
their  haversacks  furnished  them  with  a  meal.  At  two 
o'clock  they  again  drew  up  on  the  Spingawi  plateau. 
The  2d  Punjaub  Infantry  being  left  on  the  hill  to  op- 
pose the  Afghans  should  they  again  advance  in  that 
direction,  the  rest  of  the  column  entered  the  defile 
leading  into  the  Hurriab  valley,  far  in  the  rear  of  the 
Peiwar-Khotal. 


164  A   HALT   FOR   THE   NIGHT. 

As  soon  as  the  enemy,  who  were  still  opposing  the 
2d  Punjaub  Infantry,  saw  the  head  of  the  column 
enter  the  defile  they  were  seized  with  a  panic  lest  their 
retreat  should  be  cut  off,  and  began  to  retreat  with  the 
greatest  haste,  as  they  had  to  make  their  way  across 
two  mountain  ridges  before  they  could  pass  the  spot 
towards  which  our  troops  were  moving.  The  advance 
of  the  column,  however,  was  necessarily  slow,  as  the 
woods  and  side  valleys  had  to  be  carefully  examined 
lest  a  flank  attack  should  be  made  upon  them. 

In  two  hours  the  head  of  the  column  emero-ed  from 

o 

the  forest  on  to  the  open  slopes  above  the  highest  cul- 
tivated point  in  the  Hurriab  valley.  It  was  now  four 
o'clock.  The  short  December  day  was  drawing  to  a 
close ;  no  enemy  were  in  sight,  for  their  line  of  retreat 
was  hidden  in  the  bed  of  the  stream  a  couple  of  miles 
further  on,  and  no  one  knew  where  they  were  to  be 
found.  The  troops  were  much  exhausted  with  the 
want  of  rest  and  with  their  heavy  work,  for  they  had 
now  been  marching  and  fighting  for  eighteen  hours, 
and  they  were  glad  to  receive  the  order  to  bivouac, 
although  they  had  no  tents  or  food,  and  the  cold,  as 
might  be  expected  on  a  winter  day  at  an  elevation  of 
over  9000  feet  above  the  sea,  began  to  be  very  severe. 
A  number  of  the  nearest  trees  were  felled  by  the 
pioneers,  and  huge  fires  were  soon  alight.  There  was 
still  some  uneasiness,  as  no  one  knew  where  the  force 
under  General  Cobbe  was,  or  whether  the  attack  on 
the  Peiwar-Khotal  had  been  successful  or  not. 


THE   ADVANCE   OF   THE    8TH.  165 

While  the  5th  Punjaub  Infantry  had  been  mounting 
the  spur  half-way  between  the  Peiwar  and  the  Spinga\Yi 
Khotal,  the  8th  Regiment  had  moved  directly  upon 
the  pass.  The  Afghans,  who  had  expected  an  attack, 
had  remained  under  arms  until  three  in  the  morning, 
when,  hearing  no  sounds  in  our  camp,  they  had  been 
dismissed  to  rest. 

Three  guns  of  the  Ro^^al  Artillery  and  two  of  the 
Royal  Horse  Artillery  took  up  their  post  800  yards 
in  front  of  our  camp,  where  their  fire  at  the  crest  of 
the  pass  would  assist  the  advance  of  the  8th.  These, 
after  two  hours'  march,  found  themselves  at  seven  in 
the  morning  on  the  last  spur,  which  is  separated  from 
the  Peiwar- Khotal  by  a  deep  ravine.  When  it  became 
daylight  a  few  minutes  later  the  enemy  caught  sight 
of  our  artillery  in  the  valley,  and  at  once  opened  fire. 
Although  they  had  six  field-pieces  at  the  top  of  the 
hill,  only  three  had  been  placed  in  position  to  command 
the  valley  and  the  ascent,  and  the  mountain  battery 
which  had  arrived  the  afternoon  before  was  not 
brought  to  the  front. 

The  three  field-pieces  and  the  mountain  gun  on  the 
spur  kept  up  a  continuous  fire  on  our  battery  of  five 
guns.  These  w^ere,  however,  almost  beyond  their 
range,  and  but  little  damage  was  done.  On  our  side 
the  fire  was  chiefly  directed  against  the  mountain  gun 
at  the  end  of  the  spur,  and  at  any  bodies  of  men  who 
showed  themselves. 

The  artillery  duel  went  on  for  four  hours,  and  in 


166  AN    AFGHAN    ADVANCE. 

the  meantime  the  infantry  were  engaged  sharply  with 
the  Afghans.  These  had  taken  up  their  position  in 
the  woods  on  the  other  side  of  the  ravine,  and  kept 
up  a  continuous  fire  upon  the  8th.  The  distance,  how- 
ever, was  too  great  for  much  execution  on  either 
side,  especially  as  both  parties  were  sheltered  in  the 
woods. 

About  ten  o'clock  the  Afghans  were  seen  gathering 
in  streno'th,  as  if  to  come  down  across  the  road  leadino- 
up  to  the  Khotal  to  attack  the  8th  in  the  rear.  A 
squadron  of  the  18th  Bengal  Cavalry  charged  up  the 
valley,  and  the  enemy  retired  up  the  hill  again;  and, 
seeing  that  they  could  not  cross  the  road  without  the 
chance  of  being  cut  up  by  the  cavalry,  they  did  not 
try  to  repeat  the  experiment. 

At  eleven  o'clock  Brigadier-general  Cobbe  was 
wounded  in  the  leg,  and  Colonel  Barry-Drew  succeeded 
him  in  the  command,  receiving  the  orders  which  had 
been  given  to  General  Cobbe  that  the  Khotal  was 
not  to  be  attacked  till  there  was  some  evidence  that 
the  flank  attack  had  shaken  the  enemy's  defence  in 
front. 

At  twelve  o'clock,  the  guns  with  the  2d  Punjaub 
Infantry  alarmed  the  Afghans  by  their  fire  upon  the 
camp,  and  although  the  Afghan  guns  in  front  kept 
up  their  fire,  the  musketry  fire  decreased  considerably. 
Seeing  this.  Colonel  Drew  ordered  the  artillery  to 
be  brought  up  nearer.  When,  after  advancing  300 
yards,  they  came  to  a  ravine  crossing   the  road,  the 


THE   END    OF   THE   STRUGGLE.  167 

Afghans,  who  had  come  down  the  hill  to  meet  them, 
opened  a  heavy  fire;  and  the  road  being  narrow,  only 
the  leading  gun  could  come  into  action.  However, 
the  two  companies  of  the  8th,  which  were  acting  as 
an  escort  to  the  o^uns,  advanced  in  skirmishino-  order, 
and  drove  the  Afghans  up  the  hill.  The  panic  among 
the  Afghans  on  the  plateau  having  now  spread  to  the 
troops  at  the  Khotal,  their  fire  entirely  ceased,  and 
the  8th  Reo'iment  descended  the  defile,  and  beo-an  to 
climb  the  path  to  the  Khotal.  Not  a  hostile  shot  was 
fired,  and  at  half-past  two  they  reached  the  enemy's 
camp,  which  they  found  deserted. 


CHAPTER    XL 


A   PRISONER. 


HE  panic  which  had  seized  the  Afghans 
when  they  found  their  retreat  menaced 
had  been  thorough  and  complete,  and 
when  the  8th  Regiment  entered  the  camp  they  found 
that  the  tents  w^ere  standing ;  food  had  been  left  ready 
cooked,  and  every  possession  had  been  abandoned. 
In  the  artillery  camp  the  gunners  had  left  their 
silver-mounted  brass  helmets  and  caps,  as  well  as  their 
guns  and  carriages.  A  body  of  friendly  Turis  had 
accompanied  the  column  making  a  demonstration  on 
its  flank,  and  these  arriving  upon  the  spot  plundered 
the  Afghan  camp  of  everything  of  the  smallest  value. 

No  one  knew  what  had  become  of  the  main  body 
under  General  Roberts. 

The  Bengal  Cavalry  scouted  for  some  distance  in 
advance,  but  found  no  signs  of  the  enemy.  Strong 
pickets  were  set  in  case  the  Afghans  should  rally  and 
return.  The  tents  were  brought  up  from  the  camp 
below,  fires  were  lit,  and  the  8th  encamped  for  the 


night. 


In  the  morning  communication  was  established 


PREPARATIONS  FOR  WINTER.  169 

between  the  two  camps,  and  it  having  been  ascertained 
that  the  enemy  had  fled  in  the  greatest  disorder 
towards  the  Shatur-gardan  Pass  leading  down  to 
Cabul,  there  was  no  prospect  of  further  fighting.  The 
Afghans  had  abandoned  all  their  guns,  and  even  thrown 
away  a  great  quantity  of  muskets,  in  their  rapid 
retreats.  Great  stores  of  flour  and  other  provisions 
were  discovered  in  the  various  villao-es  and  were 
divided  among  the  troops. 

The  winter  was  now  setting  in,  and  the  Shatur- 
gardan  Pass  might  any  moment  be  closed  by  deep 
snow;  there  was  therefore  no  prospect  of  a  renewal 
of  hostilities  before  the  spring.  Preparations  were 
made  for  hutting  a  regiment  on  the  top  of  the  Khotal. 
The  rest  of  the  force  were  to  winter  at  Khuram. 
General  Ptoberts,  with  an  escort  of  cavalry,  rode  to  the 
Shatur-gardan  Pass,  and  assured  himself  that  the 
whole  of  the  Afghan  army  had  fled  beyond  this  point. 

The  troops  were  for  some  time  kept  hard  at  work 
lowering  the  captured  guns  and  ammunition  down  to 
the  valley.  A  portion  of  the  troops  advanced  as  far 
as  Alikheyl,  the  principal  town  of  the  plateau.  The 
Jajis,  the  inhabitants  of  the  country,  had  hitherto 
been  extremely  hostile;  but,  cowed  by  the  defeat  of 
the  Afghans,  they  submitted  without  resistance. 

On  the  12th  all  the  preparations  for  the  return 
were  complete.  It  was  known  that  there  was  another 
pass  from  Alikheyl  into  the  Khuram  valley  by  the 
south:  this  had  never  been  explored  by  any  European, 


170  THE    SAPPIR   DEFILE. 

but  General  Roberts  determined  to  return  by  it  with 
a  portion  of  his  force,  as  the  pass  might  be  found 
valuable  in  future  operations.  The  force  detailed  for 
the  march  through  the  SajDpir  defile  was  composed  of 
the  8th  Ghoorkas,  a  wing  of  the  72d  Highlanders,  a 
company  of  the  Norfolk  Rangers,  the  23d  Punjaub 
Pioneers,  and  a  mountain  battery. 

The  country  through  which  the  march  was  to  be 
made  was  inhabited  by  the  Mongals,  a  turbulent 
robber  tribe.  The  column  marched  at  nine  in  the 
morning,  and  after  their  down  march  arrived  at  the 
village  of  Sappir  at  mid-day.  The  road  lay  down  the 
Hurriab  river  till  the  Khuram  river  was  reached,  and 
then  along  the  right  bank,  passing  through  the  village 
of  Kermana,  after  which  it  turned  up  a  narrow  road 
for  two  miles,  till  an  open  plateau  was  reached,  at  the 
farther  end  of  which  stood  the  village  of  Sappir.  It 
was  reported  here  that  the  Mongals  intended  to  defend 
a  defile  and  hill  pass  two  miles  farther  on.  The  23d 
Pioneers  were  therefore  pushed  on  to  occupy  the  pass 
and  bivouac  there;  the  remainder  of  the  troops  camped 
in  the  village. 

No  signs  of  the  enemy  were  seen  either  by  the  2od 
Pioneers  or  in  the  vicinity  of  the  camp.  The  troops 
were  to  march  at  three  in  the  morning  and  the  tents 
were  struck  an  hour  after  midnight.  The  track  up 
the  pass  was  excessively  steep  and  very  difficult  for 
the  camels.  The  cold  was  bitter,  and  in  places  where 
water  had  crossed  the  road  there  were  slippery  sur- 


THE  MANJIAR   PASS  171 

faces  of  ice,  which  hindered  the  camels  considerably, 
and  it  was  past  eight  o'clock  before  the  rear-guard 
arrived  at  the  top  of  the  pass.  From  a  commanding 
position  overlooking  the  defile  and  surrounding  waste 
of  rugged  and  barren  mountains  not  an  enemy  could 
be  seen,  and  it  was  hoped  that  the  report  of  the 
intended  attack  was  a  false  one.  The  trooj)s  now 
began  to  descend  the  defile,  which  was  known  as  the 
Manjiar  Pass.  Troublesome  as  the  ascent  had  been, 
the  descent  was  infinitely  more  so;  and  it  was  with 
difficulty  that  the  camels  could  be  made  to  go  down 
the  deep  and  slippery  roads. 

The  gorge  was  five  miles  in  length.  The  track  for 
the  first  part  ran  through  a  deep  ravine  of  perpen- 
dicular walls,  which  narroAved  in  places  to  a  few  yards, 
overhanging  the  path  until  they  seemed  to  meet  and 
form  a  tunnel,  through  which  it  ran.  Had  an  attack 
been  made  on  the  column  as  it  struggled  with  its 
difficulties  through  this  portion  of  the  pass  the  result 
would  have  been  disastrous;  for  it  would  have  been 
impossible  to  place  troops  on  the  heights  to  cover  the 
advance.  Here  and  there  side  ravines  broke  into  the 
road,  in  any  of  which  ambushes  might  have  been  laid. 

It  was  not,  however,  until  the  difficult  part  of  the 
road  had  been  passed,  and  a  comparatively  open  valley 
reached,  that  any  of  the  natives  were  seen.  Then  a 
few  men  were  observed  on  the  heights,  but  as  they 
were  supposed  to  be  shepherds  no  notice  was  taken  of 
them.     Believino^  that  all  dano-er  of  attack  was  now 


172  AN  ATTACK  ON  THE  COLUMN. 

over,  tlie  general  ordered  all  the  troops,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  baggage  guard,  which  was  composed  of 
the  Sd  Ghoorkas,  and  a  few  of  the  72d  Highlanders 
and  Norfolk  Rangers,  to  march  forward  to  the  camp, 
which  was  to  be  pitched  at  a  village  called  Keraiah  in 
the  open  valley.  This,  as  the  result  proved,  was  a 
very  rash  move.  Before  the  head  of  the  column  had 
extricated  itself  from  the  ravine  numbers  of  the 
country  people  were  seen  collecting  in  small  detached 
parties;  by  degrees  they  closed  in,  and  were  soon  within 
hfty  yards  of  the  convoy. 

Captain  Goad,  in  charge  of  the  baggage,  was  close 
to  a  small  guard  of  72d  Highlanders,  when  suddenly 
a  volley  was  fired  by  the  Mongals.  Captain  Goad  fell, 
his  thigh-bone  broken  by  a  bullet.  Sergeant  Green, 
with  three  privates  of  the  72d,  picked  him  up,  and 
having  placed  him  under  cover  of  a  rock,  turned  to 
defend  themselves.  They  Avere  but  four  men  against 
a  large  number,  but  they  stood  steady;  and,  firing 
with  careful  aim,  and  picking  off"  their  man  each  time, 
they  kept  the  enemy  at  bay  until  help  arrived.  Sim- 
ultaneously all  along  the  line  of  the  baggage  column 
the  Mongals  attacked. 

From  the  heights  on  both  sides  a  fire  was  kept  up 
while  the  more  daring  swept  down  in  parties  upon 
the  rear-guard  of  Ghoorkas  commanded  by  Captain 
Powell.  The  baggage-guard  all  behaved  with  great 
steadiness,  defending  the  path  on  both  sides,  while  the 
baggage  animals  continued  their  way  along  it. 


SAFE   THROUGH   THE   DEFILE.  173 

William  Gale  was  on  duty  with  the  party,  and  was, 
like  the  rest,  busy  with  his  rifle;  a  sergeant  next  to 
him  was  hit  in  the  leg,  and  Will,  laying  down  his 
rifle,  stopped  one  of  the  camels,  and  assisted  the 
wounded  man  to  mount  it.  The  attack  of  the  Mongals 
became  more  furious  as  they  saw  their  anticipated 
prey  escaping  them  in  spite  of  all  their  efforts;  but 
their  attempts  to  close  were  in  vain,  and  the  convoy 
made  its  way  down  to  the  village  with  the  loss  of  one 
killed,  and  two  officers  and  eight  men  wounded.  Captain 
Powell  and  Captain  Goad  both  died  from  the  effects  of 
their  injuries. 

The  enemy's  loss  must  have  been  considerable,  as 
the  fire  of  the  troop  was  steady  and  accurate,  and  the 
distance  small.  After  a  halt  for  a  day  or  two  the 
column  marched  to  Khuram,  where  it  encamped. 

Captain  Herbert  had  reported  to  the  colonel  the 
manner  in  which  Private  Gale  had  defended  him  when 
wounded  and  attacked  by  three  Afghans;  the  incident, 
too,  had  been  observed  by  many  of  his  comrades,  and 
as  a  reward  the  young  soldier  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  corporal;  and  the  colonel  told  him  that,  had 
not  similar  acts  of  bravery  been  performed  in  the 
hand-to-hand  action  on  the  Spingawi-Khotal,  he 
would  have  been  mentioned  for  the  Victoria  Cross. 

The  mountain  tops  were  now  deep  in  snow,  but  in 
the  valley  the  temperature  was  very  agreeable,  and 
the  troops  enjoyed  their  rest  much.  This  was  not, 
however,  to  be  of  lono-  duration.     From  the  lower  end 


174  THE   KHOST   VALLEY. 

of  the  Khuram  valley,  runs  off  another  valley  known 
as  the  "  Khost."  This  was  an  entkely  unknown 
country  to  the  Europeans,  but  it  was  said  to  be  ex- 
tremely hostile.  Parties  had  come  down  and  carried 
off  cattle;  and  at  any  time  a  formidable  raid  might 
have  taken  place,  and  our  line  of  communication  been 
entirely  cut. 

The  country  was  ruled  by  an  Afghan  governor, 
who  sent  in  to  say  that  he  was  willing  to  hand  it  over 
to  us.  There  was,  therefore,  no  expectation  that 
there  would  be  any  resistance;  and  the  expedition 
was  designed  rather  to  overawe  the  country  and  to 
obtain  information  as  to  its  extent  and  capabilities, 
than  with  any  idea  of  permanent  occupation.  The 
column  consisted  of  a  squadron  of  the  10th  Hussars, 
the  5th  Bengal  Cavalry,  the  21st  and  28th  Punjaub 
Infantry,  two  mountain  batteries,  a  wing  of  the  72d 
Highlanders,  and  two  companies  of  the  Norfolk 
Rangers.  This  force  marched  from  Hazir-pir,  and 
halted  for  the  night  at  Jaji-Midan  at  the  head  of  tlie 
valley  leading  to  the  Darwiza  Pass,  through  which  the 
track  runs  into  the  Khost  valley. 

At  eight  o'clock  next  morning  the  troops  moved 
forward.  The  ground  was  difficult,  for  the  road  ran 
between  terraced  fields  on  the  side  of  the  ravine,  and 
obliged  men  and  animals  to  pass  in  single  file,  it  was 
not  therefore  until  twelve  o'clock  that  the  rear-guard 
moved  out  of  the  camp.  Beyond  this  point  the  road 
up  the  pass  was  not  difficult;  from  the  summit  a  wide 


ARRIVAL  AT   MATUN.  175 

view  was  obtained.  At  the  end  of  the  valley,  six 
miles  distant,  the  plain  of  the  Khost  country  was  seen. 
It  was  seen  that,  owing  to  the  slow  progress  the  troops 
were  makino-  the  bao-o-ao-e-lrain,  consistino-  of  1000 
camels,  would  not  be  able  to  reach  the  proposed 
camping-ground  at  the  lower  end  of  the  valley  before 
dark;  the  general,  therefore,  ordered  it  to  halt  at  the 
top  of  the  pass,  where  the  ground  was  open.  The  21st 
Punjaubees  and  a  mountain  battery  were  to  stay 
there  for  its  protection,  and  bring  it  on  next  day. 
The  mules  with  the  regimental  baggage  went  on  with 
the  troops. 

The  column  met  with  no  opposition.  It  halted 
near  the  village  of  Bakh,  half  a  mile  from  the 
foot  of  the  hills,  where  the  valley  widened  into  a 
plain  six  miles  long  and  four  broad.  The  force  en- 
camped here  on  the  4th,  to  allow  the  convoy  to  come 
up.  The  following  morning  the  column  marched  to 
the  other  end  of  the  valley,  and  the  next  day  the 
Afghan  governor  of  Matun,  the  chief  place  of  the 
Khost,  rode  in  to  welcome  the  general. 

On  the  6th  of  January  the  force  marched  to  Matun. 
They  found  that  this  fort  was  a  square-walled  in- 
closure  100  yards  each  side,  with  circular  corner 
bastions.  There  was  a  central  square  inclosure  with 
round  towers  at  its  angles.  As  the  fort  was  ap- 
proached, its  garrison,  which  consisted  of  100  local 
militia,  were  formed  up  in  two  lines  at  a  mosque  out- 
side the  fort.     The  general,  with  his  staff,  rode  in,  and 


176  THE   MONGAL  HORDES. 

a  long  interview  took  place  between  him  and  the 
governor.  The  troops  encamped  outside;  in  the  even- 
ing information  came  in  from  the  villages  in  the 
plain  that  large  numbers  of  the  Mongals,  who  inhabi- 
ted the  hills,  were  meditating  an  attack.  Strong 
pickets  were  posted,  and  the  night  passed  quietly.  In 
the  mornino:  laro^e  numbers  of  tribesmen  flocked  down 
into  the  villages  and  gradually  surrounded  the  camp. 
At  one  o'clock  the  troops  fell  in.  The  cavalry  were 
sent  out  against  the  enemy  in  the  north-west  direction, 
followed  by  the  28th  Punjaubees  and  No.  2  mounted 
battery.  The  Mongals  at  once  fell  back  to  the  hills. 
The  squadron  of  the  10th  Hussars  were  dismounted, 
and  ordered  to  skirmish  up  a  small  knoll  to  the  west. 
From  this  they  drove  the  enemy,  who  gathered  again 
on  a  spur  opposite. 

Here  they  were  charged  by  the  5th  Punjaub  Cav- 
alry, and  fell  back  higher  up  the  ridge.  The  mountain 
guns  and  infantry  now  arrived  and  speedily  drove 
them  over  the  crest.  General  Roberts  with  his  staflf 
rode  out  to  watch  the  skirmish;  and,  soon  after  he 
had  left,  the  enemy,  who  occupied  the  village  to  the 
north-east,  showed  in  force.  Two  of  the  mountain 
guns  opened  upon  them.  On  the  south  they  now 
approached,  under  the  cover  of  the  old  Afghan  cavalry 
lines,  to  within  half  a  mile  before  being  perceived,  and 
also  occupied  a  walled  village  there.  The  other  two 
guns  in  camp  shelled  the  village,  and  soon  drove  the 
enemy  out. 


THE  ATTACK   REPULSED.  177 

When  the  general  returned  to  camp  at  half-past 
two  he  found  the  attack  driven  off  in  all  directions, 
and  ordered  the  21st  Punjaubees,  the  7 2d  Highlanders, 
and  the  Norfolk  Rangers  to  follow  up  the  enemy  to 
the  east  and  south-east  with  the  mountain  guns,  and 
to  burn  the  villages  which  had  sheltered  the  enemy. 
The  first  village  was  found  deserted;  at  another,  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  behind,  the  enemy  made  a  stand,  but 
were  shelled  out,  and  the  plain  beyond  the  Matun 
river  was  soon  covered  with  fugitives.  Major  Stewart, 
with  forty  men  of  the  5th  Punjaub  Cavalry  who 
accompanied  the  column,  charged  400  of  them  and  cut 
down  many,  until  checked  by  the  heavy  fire  of  match- 
lock men  from  the  high  bank. 

No  more  fighting  took  place.  The  combination  of 
tribes  which  had  attacked  the  camp  were  estimated  at 
GOOO  men.  Eighty  prisoners  were  taken.  These,  two 
nights  afterwards,  took  advantage  of  a  night  alarm  to 
attempt  to  escape,  and  attacked  the  guard.  The 
attempt,  however,  was  frustrated,  but  only  after 
several  of  the  prisoners  had  been  shot  down.  Some 
days  passed  quietly.  Reconnaissances  were  made  up 
the  valley.  While  waiting  here  the  news  of  the 
capture  of  Candahar  by  General  Stewart  arrived. 
Parties  of  engineers  surveyed  the  country,  and  all 
passed  oflf  quietly. 

On  the  25th  a  portion  of  the  force  marched  back  to 
Hazir-pir.  On  the  2Gth  of  January  the  general  deter- 
mined to  withdraw  this  force  altogether,  as  no  advan- 

(  274 )  M 


178  CALLED   BACK. 

tage  was  gained  by  its  retention,  and  the  garrison 
would  be  constantly  exposed  to  the  attacks  of  the 
natives,  who  were  already  threatening  it.  The  fort 
was  handed  over  to  Sultan  Jan,  a  man  of  good  family, 
who  was  appointed  to  govern  the  Khost  temporarily. 
He  had  under  him  the  guard  of  the  former  governor, 
and  some  fresh  natives,  being  in  all  SOO  men.  The 
head-men  of  the  villages  were  called  together,  and 
these  promised  to  obey  his  rule.  Some  of  the  chiefs 
of  the  Mono-als  and  other  neighbourino-  tribes  came  in ; 
sheep  were  given  to  them,  and  they  were  told  that,  so 
long  as  they  desisted  from  interference  in  the  valley, 
no  steps  would  be  taken  against  them. 

The  troops,  however,  had  only  made  one  day's  march 
when  a  messenger  arrived  from  Sultan  Jan,  saying 
that  immediately  the  troops  had  marched,  the  Mongals 
had  come  down  to  attack  the  fort.  A  strong  party 
were  therefore  marched  back  at  once.  After  destroy- 
ing the  stores  and  setting  fire  to  the  fort  they  drew  oft' 
the  governor  and  marched  back  to  camp,  the  Mongals, 
although  in  great  force,  not  venturing  to  offer  any 
resistance.  On  the  return  of  the  force  to  the  Khuram 
valley,  a  wing  of  the  Norfolk  Rangers  was  sent  up  to 
reinforce  the  troops  stationed  on  the  top  of  the  Peiwar- 
Khotal,  as  the  Jajis  and  Mongals  had  been  gathering 
in  large  numbers,  and  threatening  an  attack  on  that 
post. 

William  Gale  was  with  his  company  stationed  at 
Alikheyl.    The  enemy  abstained  from  any  open  attack, 


A   NIGHT   PICKET.  179 

but  they  often  harassed  the  sentries.  One  night  Will  was 
corj^oral  in  charge  of  a  picket  of  eight  men  posted  at  a 
hut  half  a  mile  from  the  village.  The  object  of  the 
picket  was  to  prevent  any  sudden  attack  being  made 
upon  the  company,  who  were  in  a  small  village  a 
(quarter  of  a  mile  in  the  rear  where  a  large  quantity  of 
grain  was  stored.  Two  men  were  posted  as  sentries 
some  hundred  yards  in  advance  of  the  hut.  Will  had 
visited  the  sentry  to  the  right,  and  finding  all  was  well 
here  moved  across  to  the  left. 

"Is  everything  quiet?"  he  asked  the  sentry. 

"  I  don't  know,  corporal.  Two  or  three  times  I  have 
thought  that  I  heard  noises,  and  twice  I  have  chal- 
lenged." 

"  What  sort  of  noise?" 

"  Once  it  seemed  to  be  a  crack  like  a  dried  stick 
when  some  one  treads  on  it.  The  other  time  it  was  as 
if  a  stone  had  been  dislodged." 

"  I  will  wait  with  you,"  Will  said.  "  Two  pairs  of 
ears  are  better  than  one." 

Ao'ain  there  was  a  slio'ht  sound  heard. 

"I  don't  like  to  fire,"  Will  said.  "The  alarm  would 
spread  and  the  whole  camp  get  under  arms.  There  is 
something  moving,  I  am  convinced,  but  it  may  be  only 
a  stray  bullock.  I  will  go  forward  and  see  if  I  can 
make  it  out,  and  do  you  stand  ready  to  fire  if  I  am  at- 
tacked. After  doing  so  fall  back  on  the  picket  at  once. 
If  the  enemy  are  in  force  hold  the  hut  to  the  last.  In 
ten  minutes  you  will  have  help  from  the  village  behind." 


180  AN   AMBUSH. 

Holding  his  rifle  advanced,  in  readiness  to  fire, 
William  Gale  made  his  way  forward  cautiously  towards 
the  spot  whence  the  noise  seemed  to  proceed.  When 
he  was  some  forty  yards  in  advance  of  the  sentry  a 
number  of  figures  rose  suddenly  from  some  bushes  and 
fired. 

Will  fired,  and  saw  the  man  at  whom  he  aimed  go 
down;  but  at  the  same  instant  three  or  four  guns 
were  discharged,  and  he  fell  to  the  ground  shot  through 
the  leg.  There  was  a  rush  of  men  towards  him.  A 
tulwar  was  waved  and  fell  with  a  crushing  blow  on 
his  shoulder,  and  he  became  insensible.  When  he  re- 
covered consciousness  he  was  being  carried  along,  a 
man  holding  his  arms  and  another  his  legs.  The  pain 
was  excruciating,  and  he  fainted  again,  after  hearing, 
during  his  brief  period  of  consciousness,  a  sharp  fusi- 
lade  of  musketry,  which  told  him  that  his  comrades 
were  defending  the  hut  against  the  enemy.  When 
again  he  came  to  his  senses  it  was  daylight.  He  was 
lying  in  a  small  room,  and  an  old  woman  was  applying 
bandages  to  the  sword-cut  on  his  shoulder.  Although 
he  did  not  know  it  he  was  ten  miles  from  the  spot 
where  the  attack  had  been  made.  Among  those  who 
had  taken  part  in  it  was  the  head  of  a  small  Jaji 
village  lying  behind  the  hills. 

This  chief  was  a  crafty  old  savage,  who  had  been 
desirous  of  remaining  neutral  in  the  strife.  The  de- 
termination of  his  people  to  join  in  the  attack  by  the 
tribes  had  forced  him  to  consent  to  their  so  doing. 


A   PRISONER  AMONG  THE   AFGHANS.  181 

Before  starting  he  had,  however,  made  them  swear  that 
any  wounded  men  who  fell  into  their  hands  should 
not,  in  accordance  with  the  Afghan  custom,  be  in- 
stantly despatched,  but  should  be  brought  back  to  the 
villao'e.  His  intention  was  to  have  some  hostages.  If 
the  English  repulsed  the  attack  and  in  the  spring  again 
advanced  he  would  be  able  to  prove  his  good-will  to 
the  cause  by  handing  the  soldiers  whom  he  had  pro- 
tected over  to  them. 

Upon  the  other  hand,  should  the  British  fall  back 
and  the  Afghans  advance  in  the  spring,  he  could  hand 
the  prisoners  over  to  them,  or  send  them  down  to  Cabul 
as  a  proof  that  his  people  had  fought  against  the  British. 
He  had  himself  accompanied  his  men,  and  seeing  after 
Will  had  fallen  that  he  was  still  living,  had  at  once 
ordered  two  of  his  men  to  carry  him  off  to  the  village. 

The  attack  upon  the  guard-house  proved  unsuccess- 
ful; the  six  soldiers  defended  themselves  until  the 
company  from  the  village  behind  came  up  to  the  rescue. 
Several  other  attacks  at  various  points  took  place.  But 
the  British  were  on  the  alert,  and  the  hillsmen,  finding 
that  their  enemies  were  not  to  be  taken  by  surprise, 
scattered  again  to  the  village.  The  ball  had  fortunately 
passed  through  William  Gale's  leg  without  either  break- 
ing a  bone  or  cutting  an  artery ;  but  the  wound  in  the 
shoulder  was  more  serious,  and  the  efiect  of  the  strain 
upon  it  in  carrying  him  brought  on  violent  inflamma- 
tion; fever  set  in  with  delirium,  and  for  weeks  the  lad 
lay  between  life  and  death. 


182  WILL   SENT   TO   CABUL. 

The  old  woman  who  nursed  him  was,  like  most  of  her 
country  people,  skilled  in  the  treatment  of  wounds.  The 
bandages  were  kept  bathed  with  water,  snow  was  con- 
stantly applied  to  his  head,  and  a  decoction  of  herbs 
given  him  to  drink.  His  good  constitution  was  in  his 
favour,  and  at  last  he  recovered  his  senses,  to  find  him- 
self convalescent,  but  as  weak  as  an  infant.  In  April 
the  snow  melted,  and  the  chief,  having  by  this  time 
found  that  the  English  were  not  likely  to  advance 
beyond  Alikheyl,  thought  that  it  would  best  benefit 
his  interest  to  send  his  prisoner  down  to  Cabul. 

The  Ameer  was  reported  to  be  about  to  conclude 
peace  with  the  British,  and  the  chief  thought  that  he 
was  more  likely  to  receive  a  reward  from  him  for  the 
care  he  had  bestowed  upon  the  prisoner  than  from  the 
English.  Moreover,  it  would  have  been  difficult  to  send 
him  into  the  English  camp  through  the  hostile  villages, 
while  no  unfavourable  comment  would  be  incited  by 
his  sending  his  prisoner  down  to  Cabul. 

Will  Gale  was  far  too  weak  to  perform  the  journey 
on  foot,  he  was  therefore  placed  on  a  camel.  The  chief 
"himself  and  four  of  his  head-men  accompanied  him  as 
an  escort,  and  a  week  after  the  pass  was  open  they 
started  up  the  valley  to  the  Shatur-gardan,  and  thence 
descended  into  the  Logan  Valley  below  on  the  way  to 
Cabul. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  ADVANCE  UP  THE  KHYBER. 

OTHING  has  yet  been  said  of  the  doings 
of  the  other  columns,  that  under  General 
Browne  advancing  by  theKhyber  Pass  upon 
Jellalabad,  that  under  General  Stewart  by  the  Bolan 
Pass  upon  Candahar.  General  Browne's  force  had  been 
gathered  at  the  frontier  line  at  the  mouth  of  the  pass 
awaiting  the  reply  of  the  Ameer  to  the  British  ultima- 
tum. Xone  having  been  received  up  to  the  night  of 
the  20th  of  November,  the  advance  took  place  in  the 
morning  at  the  same  hour  at  which  General  Roberts 
advanced  from  Thull  in  the  Khurum  valley. 

The  principal  defence  of  the  Khyber  Pass  was  the 
fort  Ali-Musjid.  This  fort  stands  on  a  most  command- 
ing position  on  a  rock  jutting  out  from  the  hillside 
far  into  the  valley,  which  its  guns  commanded.  It 
was  flanked  by  batteries  erected  on  the  hillsides,  and 
was  a  most  formidable  position  to  capture.  It  was 
situated  about  six  miles  up  the  valley. 

The  force  under  General  Browne  was  divided  into 
four  brigades.     The  first,  under  General  Macpherson, 


184  THE  BRITISH  COLUMNS. 

consisted  of  the  4th  battalion  of  the  Eifle  Brigade, 
the  20th  Bengal  Infantry,  the  4th  Ghoorkas,  and  a 
mountain  battery.  These  were  ordered  to  take  a 
mountain  road,  and,  led  by  a  native  guide,  to  make 
a  long  circuit,  and  so  to  come  down  into  the  pass  at  a 
village  lying  a  mile  or  two  beyond  Ali-Musjid. 

The  second  brigade,  under  Colonel  Tytler,  con.^ist- 
ing  of  the  1st  battalion  of  the  17th  Foot,  the  infantry 
of  the  Guides,  the  1st  Sikhs,  and  a  mountain  battery, 
were  also  to  take  to  the  hills,  and  working  along  on 
their  crests  to  come  down  upon  the  batteries  which  the 
Afghans  had  erected  on  the  hillside  opposite  to  Ali- 
Musjid, 

The  third  brigade,  consisting  of  the  81st  Kegiment, 
the  14th  Sikhs,  and  the  24th  Native  Infantry;  and 
the  fourth  brigade,  composed  of  the  51st  Regiment, 
6th  Native  Infantry,  and  the  45th  Sikhs,  were  to  ad- 
vance straight  up  the  valley:  with  them  was  a  moun- 
tain battery,  a  battery  of  Horse  Artillery,  one  of  Royal 
Artiller}^,  and  a  battery  of  40 -pounders  drawn  by 
elephants. 

These  brigades  marched  forward  until  they  reached 
some  rising  ground  in  the  valley,  whence  they  could  see 
Ali-Musjid  at  a  distance  of  a  mile  and  a  half  in  front 
of  them.  The  enemy  at  once  opened  fire.  The  gunners 
in  the  fort  had  been  practising  for  some  weeks,  and 
had  got  the  range  with  great  accuracy,  and  their  shot 
and  shell  fell  thick  along  the  slope.  The  column  was 
therefore  marched  back  behind  its   crest  and   there 


A   PICTURESQUE   SCENE.  185 

halted;  and  the  men  were  allowed  to  fall  out  and  eat 
their  dinners,  as  it  was  desired  that  the  flanking  columns 
of  Macpherson  and  Ty  tier,  which  had  very  much  further 
to  go,  should  reach  the  positions  assigned  to  them 
before  the  attack  beo-an. 

The  artillery,  however,  took  up  their  position  on  the 
crest,  and  opened  fire  on  the  fort.  The  effect  of  the 
light  guns  was  but  slight,  but  the  40-pounders  pro- 
duced considerable  effect  on  the  face  of  the  fort.  After 
a  halt  for  some  time  the  troops  were  ordered  to  advance. 
The  45th  Sikhs  were  first  thrown  out  upon  the  hillside, 
and,  working  their  way  along  on  the  right  of  the  valley, 
opened  a  heavy  musketry  fire  against  the  Afghans  in 
the  batteries  there.  Presently  the  51st  and  6th  Native 
Infantry  joined  them;  while  the  81st,  the  24th,  and 
14th  Sikhs  worked  alonsc  on  the  left. 

The  scene  was  one  of  the  most  picturesque  ever  wit- 
nessed in  warfare.  From  the  fortress  standing^  on  the 
perpendicular  rock  in  the  centre  of  the  valley  the  flashes 
of  the  great  guns  came  fast  and  steadily,  while  the 
edges  of  the  rock  and  fort  were  fringed  with  tiny  puffs 
of  musketry.  From  the  rising  ground  in  the  valley 
the  smoke  of  the  British  guns  rose  up  in  the  still  air, 
as,  steadily  and  fast,  they  replied  to  the  fire  of  the 
fort.  Both  sides  of  the  steep  hill  slopes  were  lined 
with  British  infantry,  the  quick  flash  of  the  rifles 
spurting  out  from  every  rock  and  bush;  while  con- 
tinuous lines  of  lioht  smoke  rose  from  the  Afo-han  en- 
trenchments  which  faced  them.    Gradually  the  British 


186  A   TOILSOME   MARCH. 

skirmishers  advanced  until  they  were  close  to  the 
Afghan  entrenchments  on  the  hillsides  abreast  of  the 
fort. 

So  far  there  was  no  sign  that  Macpherson's  brigade 
had  reached  the  post  assigned  to  it  high  up  on  the 
hill,  or  that  Tytler  had  worked  round  to  the  village  in 
the  enemy's  rear.  Some  attacks  which  were  made  upon 
the  Afghans  were  repulsed  with  loss.  Major  Birch  and 
Lieutenant  Fitzgerald  were  killed  and  Captain  Maclean 
wounded,  and  between  thirty  and  forty  of  the  rank 
and  file  were  killed  or  wounded.  As  the  fort  and  its 
defences  could  not  have  been  carried  by  direct  attack 
without  immense  loss  of  life,  it  was  determined  to 
cease  operations  until  morning  in  order  to  give  the 
flanking  columns  time  to  reach  tlie  positions  assigned 
to  them;  a  winof  of  a  resjiment  from  each  briojade  was 
ordered  to  remain  on  the  hillside  facing  the  Afghan 
entrenchments;  the  rest  of  the  troops  fell  back  a 
short  distance  and  lay  down  as  they  were  for  the 
night. 

In  the  meantime  the  brigades  of  Macpherson  and 
Tytler  had  encountered  enormous  difficulties  on  the 
line  of  march.  The  roads  they  had  taken  were  mere 
tracks,  and  there  were  many  places  where  it  was 
almost  impossible  to  get  the  mountain  guns  along. 
From  daybreak  until  late  at  night  the  troops  laboured 
unceasingly.  They  knew  by  the  dull  roar  echoed  and 
re-echoed  among  the  mountains  that  their  comrades 
below  were  engaged;  and  the  thought  that  a  failure 


THE  POSITION   TURNED.  187 

might  ensue,  o^Ying  to  their  absence  from  the  contest, 
nerved  them  to  continued  exertions. 

Late  at  night,  however,  Macpherson  with  his  brigade 
arrived  on  the  top  of  the  hill  facing  Ali-Musjid,  and 
Tytler  with  his  column  came  down  into  the  Khyber 
valley  in  rear  of  the  fort.  But,  though  unopposed,  their 
march  had  not  been  unnoticed,  and  late  in  the  evening 
the  news  reached  the  Afghans  that  the  British  were 
marching  down  into  the  valley  behind  them.  A  wild 
panic  instantly  seized  them.  Clothes,  ammunition, 
guns,  everything  that  could  impede  their  flight,  were 
thrown  away,  and  the  garrison  of  Ali-Musjid  and  the 
Afghans  in  the  hillside  entrenchments  fled,  a  herd  of 
frightened  fugitives,  up  the  valley. 

Hasty  as  was  their  retreat  they  were  not  in  time. 
Tytler  with  his  column  debouched  into  the  valley  before 
they  had  passed  the  spot  where  the  mountain  path 
descended  into  it,  and  large  numbers  were  taken  pris- 
oners. As  at  the  Peiwar-Khotal,  the  Afghans  proved 
themselves  capable  of  defending  a  strong  position 
valiantly,  but  were  converted  into  a  mob  of  panic- 
stricken  fugitives  by  their  line  of  retreat  being  threat- 
ened. 

A  European  army  under  like  circumstances  would 
have  fallen  back  in  good  order.  Their  force  was  amply 
suflScient  to  have  swept  aside  the  little  column  which 
barred  their  retreat,  and  they  would  have  occupied  a 
fresh  position  farther  to  the  rear  and  renewed  the  con- 
flict.    Not  so  the  Afghans.    The  capture  of  Ali-Musjid 


188  WINTER   QUARTERS. 

brouo'ht  with  it  the  entire  demoralization  of  the  Aforhan 
army,  which  a  few  hours  before  had  been  fully  confi- 
dent in  its  power  to  repulse  any  attack  which  might 
be  made  upon  it. 

The  British  continued  their  advance,  passed  through 
the  Khyber  Pass,  and  entered  the  broad  valley  near 
whose  head  stands  the  town  of  Jellalabad.  Beyond 
a  few  shots  fired  at  them  by  tribesmen  high  up  on 
the  mountain  side  they  experienced  no  opposition 
whatever,  and  a  week  after  the  fight  in  the  Khyber 
entered  Jellalabad  and  encamped  around  it.  Further 
than  this  it  was  not  intended  to  go  for  the  present. 
Winter  was  now  close  at  hand.  Between  Jellalabad 
and  Cabul  were  a  series  of  most  difficult  passes;  an 
army  advancing  up  them  would  have  immense  diffi- 
culty to  encounter,  and  might  find  itself  cut  off"  from 
India  by  the  snoAvs. 

In  the  Jellalabad  valley  the  weather  is  mild,  large 
stores  of  provisions  were  obtainable,  and  here  it  was 
determined  to  remain  through  the  winter,  and  to  re- 
commence the  campaign  in  the  spring  with  the  advan- 
tage of  the  Khyber  Pass,  one  of  the  keys  of  Afghan- 
istan, being  in  our  hands.  But  a  day  or  two  after 
reaching  Jellalabad,  having  defeated  and  dispersed  one 
of  the  two  Afghan  armies,  the  news  arrived  of  the 
capture  of  the  Peiwar-Khotal,the  second  key  of  Afghan- 
istan, and  the  utter  rout  of  the  army  defending  it. 
Thus,  in  little  more  than  a  week  after  the  commence- 
ment of  the  campaign,  Sheer- Ali,  the  Ameer,  saw  the 


SHEER- ALIS   POSITION.  189 

entire  overthrow  of  the  army  which  he  had  for  so 
many  years  been  occupied  in  organizing  and  training. 

The  positions  which  he  had  deemed  impregnable  had 
both  been  taken  after  a  single  day's  fighting,  and  his 
capital  lay  virtually  at  the  mercy  of  his  conquerors.  In 
one  short  week  his  hopes  and  plans  had  been  scattered 
to  the  winds.  Sheer-Ali  was  not  wholly  to  be  blamed. 
He  had  for  many  years  received  an  annual  present  of 
money  and  arms  from  the  British  government;  but 
upon  the  other  hand  he  saw  Russia  marching  with  giant 
steps  towards  his  northern  frontier,  and  contrasting  the 
energy  and  enterprise  of  the  great  northern  power  with 
the  inactivity  which  ho  may  have  supposed  to  prevail 
among  the  men  who  governed  England,  he  became 
more  and  more  anxious,  and  asked  the  English  de- 
finitely to  state  whether  he  could  rely  upon  them  for 
assistance  should  he  be  attacked  by  the  Russians. 

He  received  a  reply  from  the  Duke  of  Argyle,  the 
British  minister  for  India,  of  a  doubtful  nature,  couched 
in  terms  which  seem  to  have  aroused  his  resentment. 
From  this  moment  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the 
Ameer's  course  was  decided  upon.  He  was  between  the 
hammer  and  the  anvil,  and  as  he  could  obtain  no 
guarantee  of  assistance  from  England  he  determined 
to  throw  himself  into  the  arms  of  Russia. 

Letters  were  exchanged  between  him  and  General 
Kaufmann,  the  Russian  viceroy  in  Turkestan,  and  the 
latter  gave  him  the  warmest  promises  of  support  if  he 
would  ally  himself  with  Russia. 


190  A  FATAL  MISCALCULATION. 

Although  he  had  for  jea^rs  declined  to  accept  a  Bri- 
tish resident  at  Cabul  or  to  allow  Englishmen  to  enter 
the  country,  he  now,  believing  in  the  power  and  willing- 
ness of  Russia  to  help,  received  the  visit  of  a  Russian 
general  and  staff  at  Cabul. 

Unfortunately  for  the  Ameer  the  government  of 
England  had  now  changed  hands,  and  the  ministry 
at  once  sent  to  Sheer-Ali  to  demand  that  he  should 
receive  a  British  resident.  It  was  late  in  the  year, 
and  the  Ameer,  acting  no  doubt  on  the  advice  of  his 
Russian  friends,  sought  to  gain  time  by  evasive 
answers.  The  British  government,  who  saw  through 
the  ruse,  ordered  the  envoy  to  advance  with  a  strong- 
escort.  This  obliged  the  Ameer  to  come  to  a  final 
decision,  and  the  die  was  cast  by  the  escort  being 
stopped  by  force  on  its  arrival  at  Ali-Musjid. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  Ameer  and  his  friends 
calculated  that  it  was  already  too  late  in  the  season 
for  the  English  to  gather  a  sufficient  force  on  the 
frontier  to  force  the  passes  held  by  the  Afghan  army 
before  the  snows.  The  promptness  of  action  of  the 
English  government,  the  valour  of  their  troops,  and 
the  unusually  late  setting  in  of  the  winter  combined 
to  overthrow  the  Ameer's  plans.  Had  the  campaign 
been  delayed  till  the  spring  there  can  be  little  doubt 
that  the  British  in  their  advance  would  have  found 
themselves  opposed,  if  not  by  a  Russian  army,  at  least 
by  an  army  led  and  officered  by  Russians,  with  Russian 
engineers  and  artillerymen.     The  promptness  of  their 


THE   DEATH    OF   THE   AMEER.  191 

advance,  and  the  capture  of  the  passes  and  the  disper- 
sion of  tiie  Afghan  armies  within  a  week  of  the  open- 
ing of  the  campaign,  altogether  altered  this  position. 

Sheer-Ali  found  himself  a  king  without  an  army. 
The  plains  of  Cabul  were  thronged  with  the  panic- 
stricken  fugitives  from  the  Khyber  and  Peiwar,  and 
Sheer-Ali  started  at  night  from  his  capital  with  his 
Russian  friends  and  made  for  the  north,  sending  letter 
after  letter  ahead  of  him  to  General  Kaufmann  im- 
ploring the  promised  aid  of  Russia.  The  rapid  course 
of  events,  however,  had  entirely  disconcerted  the  Rus- 
sian plans. 

In  the  spring  a  Russian  army  might  have  advanced 
and  co-operated  with  that  of  the  Ameer,.but  the  winter 
had  set  in,  the  distance  was  immense,  and  the  Russians 
unprepared  for  instant  action.  The  appeals  of  the 
unfortunate  prince  were  responded  to  with  vague  gen- 
eralities. He  was  no  longer  a  powerful  ally,  but  a 
broken  instrument;  and  heart-broken  with  disappoint- 
ment and  failure  the  unfortunate  Sheer-Ali  was  seized 
by  fever  and  died  in  an  obscure  village  almost  alone 
and  wholly  uncared  for.  His  son  Yakoob  Khan,  who 
had  in  his  youth  proved  himself  a  brave  and  able 
soldier,  but  who  having  incurred  his  father's  displea- 
sure had  been  for  years  confined  as  a  prisoner  at  Herat, 
was  now  liberated  and  took  his  place  as  his  father's 
successor.  He  saw  at  once  that  with  a  broken  and 
disorganized  army  he  could  not  hope  to  resist  the 
advance  of  the  three  British  armies  which,  coming 


192  THE   SIGNATURE   OF  PEACE. 

from  Jellalabad,  from  the  heights  of  the  Shatur-Gardan, 
and  from  Candahar,  would  simultaneously  advance 
upon  his  capital  as  soon  as  the  snows  melted. 

He  therefore  opened  negotiations,  and  early  in  May 
himself  descended  from  Cabul  and  had  an  interview 
with  General  Browne  at  Gundamuk,  wdien  the  pre- 
liminaries of  peace  were  arranged  and  signed.  The 
terms  insisted  upon  by  the  British  were  not  onerous. 
Yakoob  was  recoQ-nized  as  the  Ameer  of  Afohanistan, 
the  annual  subsidy  paid  to  his  father  was  to  be  con- 
tinued. The  Khyber  Pass  and  the  Khurum  valley  as 
far  as  the  Peiwar-Khotal  were  to  remain  in  the  hands 
of  the  British,  and  a  British  minister  was  to  be  stationed 
at  Cabul.  When  peace  had  been  signed  the  greater 
portion  of  the  British  army  retired  to  India,  and  the 
Khurum  column,  leaving  two  or  three  regiments  in 
that  valley,  also  fell  back. 

While  the  first  and  second  divisions  had  been  gain- 
ing victories  in  the  Khyber  and  Khurum  valleys,  the 
column  under  General  Stewart  had  met  w^ith  difficulties 
of  another  kind. 

Between  the  Indus  and  the  foot  of  the  range  of 
mountains  through  which  the  Bolan  Pass  leads  to 
the  lofty  plateau  land  above,  a  great  waste  of  sand 
stretches.  In  the  wet  season  this  tract  of  country  is 
overflowed  by  the  Indus,  in  the  dry  season  it  is  a 
parched  and  bare  desert  with  its  wells  few  and  far 
apart.  There  were  great  difiiculties  met  with  in  cross- 
ing this  inhospitable  plain,  and  the  losses  among  the 


A  TERRIBLE   PASS.  193 

bagcrage  animals  were  oTeat;  but  the  labours  up  to 
this  point  were  as  nothing  to  those  which  had  to  be 
undergone  on  the  way  up  the  Bolan  Pass. 

This  pass,  whose  ascent  occupies  three  days,  is  in 
fact  the  mere  bed  of  a  stream,  covered  deeply  with 
boulders  and  stones  of  all  sizes,  in  which  the  baggage 
and  artillery  horses  sank  fetlock  deep.  The  difficulties 
encountered  were  enormous,  and  vast  numbers  of 
camels,  horses,  and  bullocks  died  by  the  way.  Even 
with  a  double  complement  of  horses  it  was  almost  im- 
possible to  drag  the  guns  up  the  deep  shingly  pass, 
and  great  delays  were  experienced  before  the  force  in- 
tended for  operations  against  Candahar  were  assembled 
at  Quettah.  So  far  the  advance  had  taken  place 
through  British  territory,  as  Quettah  has  long  been 
occupied  by  us. 

When  the  advance  began  it  was  rapid.  No  opposi- 
tion was  experienced  by  the  way  until  the  column 
arrived  within  a  few  hours'  march  of  Candahar,  and 
then  the  enemy's  attack  was  feeble  and  easily  repulsed. 
On  the  9th  of  January  General  Stewart  entered  the  city. 

Candahar,  though  not  the  capital,  is  the  chief  town 
of  Afghanistan;  it  stands  in  a  slightly  undulating 
plain,  and  was  at  one  time  a  city  of  great  importance 
and  wealth.  Its  position  is  the  most  imj)ortant  in 
Afghanistan.  It  bars  the  road  to  an  enemy  advancing 
from  the  north  through  Herat,  and  threatens  the  flank 
and  rear  of  one  advancing  against  India  through  Cabul. 

The  country  around  is  extremely  fertile,  and  were 

(274)  N 


194  CANDAHAR. 

irrigation  properly  used  and  a  railway  constructed  to 
India,  Candahar  and  the  surrounding  country  would 
again  become  one  of  the  gardens  of  the  world.  The 
authorities  of  the  city  made  their  submission  as  the 
column  approached  it,  and  the  army  settled  down  to 
quiet  occupation,  broken  only  by  isolated  attacks  upon 
individual  soldiers  by  fanatical  Ghazis. 

When  peace  was  concluded  one  of  the  conditions 
distinctly  insisted  upon  by  the  British  general  and 
agreed  to  by  the  Ameer  was  that  Candahar  should 
remain  in  our  possession.  The  alleged  advantage  thus 
gained,  and  the  territory  thus  acquired,  were  after- 
wards abandoned  by  the  British  government  succeed- 
ing that  which  had  so  vigorously  carried  out  the  war. 
The  occupation  of  Candahar  by  the  British  had  been 
insisted  on  at  first,  on  the  ground  that  if  Russia  should 
make  an  advance  against  India  the  British  nation 
would  have  ample  cause  to  rue  the  cession  of  Candahar, 
for  it  was  declared  that  with  this  city  strongly  fortified 
and  surrounded  by  outlying  works  10,000  British 
troops  there  could  arrest  the  progress  of  an  invading 
army  however  large,  until  England  had  had  full  time 
to  put  forth  all  her  strength  and  to  assemble  an  army 
amply  sufficient  to  secure  the  safety  of  the  most  valu- 
able of  our  possessions — the  empire  of  India. 

It  was  said  that  whatever  allies  Russia  might  have 
prepared  for  herself  by  intrigues  among  the  princes  of 
India,  these  would  not  think  of  moving  so  long  as  they 
knew  that  the  fortress  of  Candahar  remained  as  a 


CHANGE   OF  POLICY.  195 

British  l3ulwark  aoainst  an  invadino^  force.  It  was  re- 
presented  that  so  long  as  this  place  held  out  England 
would  be  able  to  devote  her  whole  force  towards  re- 
pelling the  foreign  invader,  instead  of  being  obliged 
simultaneously  to  oppose  him  and  to  put  down  a  for- 
midable rising  in  India  itself.  It  was,  however,  not 
the  universal  opinion  that  the  best  policy  of  England 
was  to  occupy  this  territory  by  an  armed  force,  and 
subsequent  events,  with  the  change  of  government  in 
England,  led  to  a  different  determination. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

THE   MASSACRE   AT   CABUL. 

T  each  villao-e  throuo-li  which  William  Gale 
and  his  escort  passed  the  inhabitants 
turned  out  and  hooted  and  yelled  at  the 
prisoner,  and  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  the 
chief  protected  him  from  personal  violence.  William 
himself  was  scarce  conscious  of  what  was  passing.  The 
swino'inof  action  of  the  camel  added  to  his  OTeat  weak- 
ness,  and  he  would  not  have  been  able  to  keep  his  seat 
on  its  back  had  not  his  captors  fastened  him  with 
ropes  to  the  saddle.  Although  the  snow  had  only  just 
melted  on  the  Shatur-Gardan  Pass,  in  the  valleys  below 
the  heat  of  the  sun  was  already  great,  and  often  as  it 
poured  down  upon  him  he  lapsed  into  a  state  of  semi- 
consciousness and  drowsily  fancied  that  he  was  again 
in  his  canoe  tossing  on  the  tiny  waves  in  the  shelter  of 
the  reef. 

On  the  sixth  day  after  the  start  a  shout  from  his 
guard  aroused  him  as  they  emerged  from  a  steep  ascent 
amongst  some  hills.  Before  him  an  undulating  ground 
dotted  with  villacres  stretched  for  three  or  four  miles. 


WILLIAM    GALE    IX    THE    HANDS    OF    THE    AFGHANS, 


A   PRISONER  AT  CABUL.  197 

At  the  foot  of  some  steep  hills  to  the  left  of  a  wide 
valley  was  a  large  walled  town  which  he  knew  to  be 
Cabul. 

On  the  hillside  above  it  was  a  strono-  buildino-  half 
fort,  half  palace.  This  was  the  Bala-Hissar,  the  abode 
of  the  Ameer,  and  the  fortress  of  Cabul.  In  addition 
to  the  king's  residence  it  contained  barracks,  store- 
houses, magazines,  and  many  residences.  Towards  this 
the  cavalcade  made  its  way. 

They  halted  two  miles  from  the  town,  and  the  chief 
sent  his  son  forward  to  the  Ameer  to  inform  him  that 
he  had  brought  in  an  English  prisoner,  and  to  request 
that  an  escort  might  be  sent  out  lest  he  should  be 
killed  by  the  peoj)le  on  approaching  the  town.  An 
hour  after  the  man  had  left,  a  troop  of  cavalry  sallied 
out  from  the  gate  of  the  Bala-Hissar  and  rode  rapidly 
to  the  spot  where  the  party  had  halted.  Surrounding 
the  camel  on  w^hich  William  Gale  was  mounted,  they 
conducted  it  to  the  fortress. 

When  he  was  lifted  down  from  his  camel  Will  was 
unable  to  stand.  Fever  had  set  in  again,  and  he  was 
conveyed  to  an  apartment  in  a  house  near  the  royal 
residence.  The  Ameer  was  already  negotiating  with 
the  British,  and  orders  were  consequently  given  that 
the  prisoner  should  receive  every  attention.  The  king's 
own  doctor  was  ordered  to  attend  him,  and  two  atten- 
dants were  told  off  to  take  charge  of  him.  The  old 
chief  received  a  recompense  for  the  care  which  he  had 
taken  of  the  prisoner,  which   fully  answered   to  his 


198  A   FAITHFUL   ATTENDANT. 

expectations,  and  he  returned  home  well  satisfied  with 
the  success  of  his  policy. 

For  weeks  Will  lay  between  life  and  death,  and  he  was 
a  mere  skeleton  when,  two  months  after  his  arrival,  he 
was  able  for  the  first  time  to  sit  up  at  the  window  and 
look  across  the  valley.  Very  gradually  he  recovered 
strength.  He  was  well  supplied  with  food,  and  espe- 
cially enjoyed  the  delicious  fruits  for  which  Cabul  is 
celebrated.  His  attendants  were  an  old  man  and  his 
son,  the  latter  a  lad  of  some  fifteen  years  of  age.  The 
father  did  his  duty  because  ordered  to  do  so,  but  his 
scowlino'  face  often  showed  the  hatred  which  he  felt 
of  the  Kaffir.  The  lad,  however,  took  kindly  to  his 
patient.  He  it  was  who  for  hours  together  would,  while 
Will  was  at  his  worst,  sit  by  his  bedside  constantly 
changing  the  wet  cloths  wrapped  round  his  head,  and 
sometimes  squeezing  a  few  drops  of  the  refreshing- 
juice  of  some  fruit  between  his  parched  lips;  and  as 
his  patient  turned  the  corner  and  became  slowly  con- 
valescent his  pleasure  over  the  life  he  had  saved  by  his 
care  was  very  great. 

Like  most  soldiers  in  the  expeditionary  force  Will 
had  picked  up  a  few  words  of  Afghan,  and  had  greatly 
increased  his  stock  during  the  time  he  lay  in  the  hut 
in  the  mountains.  Alone  now  all  day  with  the  boy, 
with  nothins:  to  do  but  to  look  out  on  the  town  below 
and  the  wide  valley  beyond,  he  made  rapid  progress, 
and  was,  by  the  time  he  was  strong  enough  to  walk 
alone  across  the  room,  able  to  hold  some  sort  of  con- 


THE   BRITISH   MISSION.  199 

versation  with  his  friend;  for  so  he  had  come  to  regard 
his  devoted  attendant.  One  morning  the  boy  came 
into  the  room  in  a  state  of  great  excitement. 

"  Enghsh  officers  are  coming,"  he  said,  "  with  sol- 
diers." 

"But  I  thought  it  was  peace,"  Will  exclaimed  de- 
lighted; "  you  told  me  peace  had  been  signed  at  Gunda- 
muk  two  months  ago." 

"Yes,  it  is  peace,"  the  boy  said;  "the  officers  are 
coming  in  friendship  to  be  here  with  the  Ameer." 

Will  was  greatly  moved  at  the  news.  When  he  had 
heard,  six  weeks  before,  that  peace  w^as  signed  he  had 
begun  to  hope  that  some  day  or  other  he  should  again 
be  able  to  return  to  India,  but  the  news  that  some  of  his 
countrymen  were  close  at  hand  almost  overcame  him. 
The  next  day,  wdiich  was  the  24th  of  July — although 
Will  had  lost  all  account  of  time — he  saw  vast  numbers 
of  people  out  on  the  plain,  and  presently  far  away  he 
lieheld  a  large  body  of  horsemen.  These,  the  lad  told 
him,  were  the  Ameer  and  his  body-guard  accompanied 
by  the  English  officers. 

Cannon  were  fired  in  salute,  and  the  garrison  of  the 
Bala-Hissar  stood  to  their  arms,  and  presently  Will 
saw  a  cavalcade  riding  up  from  the  gate  of  the  for- 
tress. First  came  some  Afghan  cavalry,  then  rode  a 
tall  and  stately  man  w^hom  the  boy  told  him  was  the 
Ameer.  But  Will  had  no  eyes  for  him;  all  his  thoughts 
were  centred  on  the  white  officer  who  rode  beside  him, 
Major  Sir  Lewis  Cavagnari,  the  English  envoy.    Behind, 


200  MAJOR  CAVAGNARI. 

amonof  the  chiefs  of  the  Ameer's  suite, rode  two  or  three 
other  Eno'lish  officers,  and  then  came  a  detachment  of 
some  twenty -five  cavahy  and  fifty  infantry  of  the 
Guides,  a  frontier  force  consisting  of  picked  men. 

As  they  passed  near  his  window  Will  stood  up  with 
his  hand  to  his  forehead  in  salute.  Major  Cavagnari 
looked  up  in  surprise  and  spoke  to  the  Ameer.  The 
latter  said  a  few  words  in  reply,  and  then  the  caval- 
cade rode  on  to  the  palace.  Ten  minutes  later  two  of 
the  Ameer's  attendants  entered  and  told  Will  to  follow 
them. 

He  had  that  morning,  for  the  first  time  since  his 
arrival  in  Cabul,  put  on  his  uniform.  He  was  still 
very  weak,  but,  leaning  one  hand  upon  his  attendant's 
shoulder,  he  followed  the  messengers.  He  was  con- 
ducted to  a  large  room  in  the  palace,  where  the  Ameer 
and  his  adviser  and  the  British  officers  were  sitting. 

"Well,  my  lad,"  Major  Cavagnari  said  kindly,  "I 
hear  you  have  had  a  bad  time  of  it.  The  Ameer  tells 
me  that  you  were  taken  prisoner  near  Ali-Kheyl,  that 
you  were  badly  wounded,  and  that  after  the  snow 
melted  you  were  brought  down  here.  He  says  he  gave 
orders  that  everything  should  be  done  for  you,  but  that 
you  have  been  very  ill  ever  since." 

"I  have  been  treated  very  kindly,  sir,"  Will  said, 
"  and  I  am  now  getting  round.  I  owe  my  life  chiefly 
to  the  care  and  attention  of  the  lad  here,  who  has 
watched  over  me  like  a  brother." 

Will's  words  were  translated  to  the  Ameer,  who  ex- 


AMONG   FRIENDS.  201 

pressed  his  satisfaction,  and  ordered  a  purse  of  money 
to  be  given  to  the  boy  in  testimony  of  his  approval  of 
the  care  he  had  taken  of  his  patient.  As  Major  Cava- 
g-nari  saw  that  the  young  soldier  was  almost  too  weak 
to  stand  he  at  once  told  him  to  retire  to  his  room, 
adding  kindly: 

"  I  will  ask  the  Ameer  to  assign  you  quarters  in  the 
same  house  with  us;  we  will  soon  bring  you  round 
and  make  you  strong  and  well  again." 

The  same  evening  Will  was  carried  over — for  the 
fatigue  he  had  undergone  had  been  almost  too  much 
for  him — to  the  large  house  assigned  to  Major  Cava- 
gnari,  his  officers  and  escort.  It  was  built  of  wood, 
surrounded  by  a  court-yard  and  wall.  A  room  was 
assigned  to  Will  on  the  same  floor  as  that  occupied 
by  the  officers.  The  Afghan  lad  had  received  orders 
to  accompany  his  patient  and  remain  with  him  as  long- 
as  he  stayed  in  Cabul. 

Will's  progress  towards  recovery  was  now  rapid.  He 
had  no  longer  any  cause  for  anxiety.  He  was  care- 
fully attended  to  by  Dr.  Kelly,  the  surgeon  of  the 
Guides,  who  had  accompanied  the  mission  as  medical 
officer.  The  escort  was  commanded  by  Lieut.  Hamil- 
ton, and  Sir  Lewis  Cavagnari  was  accompanied  by  Mr. 
William  Jenkyns  of  the  Indian  Civil  Service  as  his 
secretary.  The  care  of  Dr.  Kelly  and  the  influence  of 
quinine  and  tonics  quickly  added  to  Will's  strength, 
but  his  best  medicine  was  the  sound  of  English  voices 
and  the  kindness  which  was  shown  to  him. 


202  TJIE   HERATEE   REGIMENT. 

In  a  fortniofht  he  was  able  to  ejet  about  as  usual,  and 
the  doctor  said  that  in  another  month  he  would  be  as 
strong  as  ever.  For  two  or  three  weeks  after  Major 
Cavagnari's  arrival  in  Cabul  all  went  well;  and  it 
appeared  as  if  the  forebodings  of  those  who  had  pre- 
dicted trouble  and  danger  to  the  little  body  who  had 
gone  up,  as  it  were,  into  the  lion's  den,  were  likely 
to  be  falsified.  That  the  mission  was  not  without 
danger  the  authorities  and  Major  Cavagnari  himself 
were  well  aware;  but  it  was  important  that  the  pro- 
vision in  the  treaty  of  Gundamuk  by  which  England 
secured  the  right  of  maintaining  a  resident  at  Cabul 
should  be  put  into  operation;  besides,  the  Ameer  had 
himself  given  the  invitation  to  Major  Cavagnari,  and 
had  pressed  the  point  warmly,  giving  the  most  solemn 
promises  of  protection.  At  any  rate  for  the  first  two 
weeks  the  soldiers  of  the  escort  moved  freely  in  the 
city  without  molestation  or  insult,  and  it  appeared  as 
if  the  population  of  Cabul  were  content  with  the  terms 
of  peace,  which  indeed  imposed  no  burdens  whatever 
upon  them,  and  was  supposed  to  have  inflicted  no 
humiliation  on  their  national  pride. 

On  the  5th  of  August  several  regiments  marched  in 
from  Herat.  These  troops,  which  were  considered  the 
flower  of  the  Afghan  army,  had,  in  consequence  of  the 
distance  of  Herat  from  the  seat  of  war,  taken  no  part 
whatever  in  the  struggle.  Upon  the  very  day  after 
their  arrival  they  scattered  through  the  town,  and  were 
loud  in  their  expression  of  hostility  to  the  terms  of 


COMING  TROUBLES.  203 

peace.  Had  they  been  there,  they  said,  the  Kaffirs 
would  have  been  easily  defeated.  Why  should  peace 
have  been  made  at  the  very  first  reverse,  and  before 
the  best  fio-htino-  men  had  come  to  the  front  ? 

That  evenins:  Will  Gale's  youno-  attendant  came  to 
him  in  his  room  looking  very  serious. 

"What  is  the  matter,  Yossouf?" 

The  lad  shook  his  head.  "  Trouble  is  coming,"  he 
said.  "The  Heratee  men  are  stirring  up  the  people, 
and  the  Budmashes  are  threatenino-  that  they  will  kill 
the  English." 

"  But  the  Ameer  has  promised  his  protection,"  Will 
said ;  "  he  has  sworn  a  solemn  oath  to  stand  by  them." 

"Yakoob  Khan  is  weak,"  the  boy  said;  "he  was 
a  great  warrior  once,  but  he  has  been  in  prison  for 
many  years  and  he  is  no  longer  firm  and  strong. 
Some  of  the  men  round  him  are  bad  advisers.  Yakoob 
Khan  is  no  better  than  a  reed  to  lean  upon." 

The  next  day  there  were  riots  in  the  town.  The 
Heratee  men  taunted  the  people  of  Cabul  with  cowar- 
dice, and  the  excitement  spread  in  the  city.  The 
soldiers  of  the  escort  could  no  longer  stroll  quietly 
through  the  bazaars,  but  were  hooted  at  and  abused, 
although  of  the  same  religion  and  race  as  the  people 
around  them — for  the  Guide  regiments  were  recruited 
from  Pathans  and  other  border  tribes.  Day  after  day 
the  position  became  more  threatening.  The  men  of 
the  escort  were  ordered  no  longer  to  go  down  into  the 
town,  where  their  presence  was  the  occasion  of  tumults. 


204  THE  DANGER  INCREASES. 

A  native  officer  of  one  of  our  cavalry  regiments  who 
was  spending  his  furlough  at  a  village  near  Cabul 
came  into  the  Bala-Hissar  and  told  Major  Cavagnari 
that  he  feared,  from  rumours  that  reached  him,  that 
the  Heratee  regiments  would  break  into  mutiny  and 
attack  the  embassy.  The  officer,  who  was  a  man  of 
immense  courage  and  coolness,  replied  quietly: 

"  If  they  do,  they  can  but  kill  the  three  or  four  of 
us  here,  and  our  deaths  will  be  revenged." 

He,  however,  made  representations  to  the  Ameer  as 
to  the  threatening  behaviour  of  the  Heratee  troops; 
but  Yakoob  assured  him  that  he  could  rely  thoroughly 
upon  his  protection,  and  that  even  should  the  Heratee 
troops  break  out  in  mutiny  he  would  at  once  suppress 
the  movement  with  the  Cabul  regiments.  Yossouf 
became  daily  more  anxious.  Going  into  the  town  to 
buy  fruits  and  other  necessaries  he  heard  more  of  what 
was  going  on  than  could  the  members  of  the  embassy. 

"  Things  are  very  bad,"  he  said  over  and  over  again. 
"It  would  be  better  for  you  all  to  go  away.  Why  does 
your  officer  stop  here  to  be  killed?" 

"  It  is  his  duty  to  stay  at  his  post,"  Will  said.  "  He 
has  been  sent  here  by  the  commander-in-chief.  He  is 
like  a  soldier  on  outpost  duty,  he  cannot  desert  his  post 
because  he  sees  danger  a.pproaching;  but  I  wish  with 
all  my  heart  that  an  order  would  come  for  his  recall, 
not  only  because  of  the  danger,  but  because  I  am 
longing  to  be  back  again  with  my  regiment;  and 
althouo-h  I  am  stronor  enouo^h  to  ride  down  to  the  Pun- 

C3  O  O 


WILL  gale's  position.  205 

jaub  now,  I  cannot  go  except  with  Sir  Lewis  and  his 
escort.  Although  it  is  peace  a  single  Englishman  could 
not  travel  down  to  Jellalabad  through  the  passes." 

Will  had  from  the  first  week  after  the  arrival  of  the 
mission  fallen  into  the  position  of  an  orderly-room 
sergeant.  His  duties  were  little  more  than  nominal, 
but  he  acted  as  assistant  to  Mr.  Jenkyns,  and  made 
copies  and  duplicates  of  reports  and  other  documents 
which  were  from  time  to  time  sent  down  to  Jellalabad. 
Being  the  only  Englishman  there  with  the  exception 
of  the  four  officers,  these  greatly  relaxed  the  usual  dis- 
tance prevailing  between  an  officer  and  a  corporal,  and 
treated  him  as  a  civilian  clerk  when  in  office,  and  with 
a  pleasant  cordiality  at  other  times.  Except,  indeed, 
that  he  messed  alone  and  kept  in  his  own  room  of  an 
evening,  he  might  have  been  one  of  the  party.  Each 
day  he  reported  to  Sir  Lewis  the  rumours  which 
Yossouf  had  gathered  in  the  town.  In  his  reports  to 
headquarters  Major  Cavagnari  stated  that  trouble 
had  arisen  from  the  conduct  of  the  Heratee  troops,  but 
he  scarcely  made  enough  of  the  real  danger  which 
threatened  the  little  party.  Had  he  done  so,  the 
embassy  would  probably  have  been  recalled. 

"What  have  you  got  there,  Yossouf?"  Will  asked 
one  day  when  his  follower  returned  with  a  larger 
bundle  than  usual. 

"  I  have  brouo'ht  the  uniform  of  an  Af Mian  soldier," 
the  boy  replied,  "  which  I  have  purchased  from  the 
bazaar;  it  is  for  you.     I  am  sure  that  soon  you  will  be 


206  yossouf's  anxiety. 

a^ttacked.  The  English  are  brave,  but  there  are  only 
four  of  them.  Their  soldiers  will  fight,  but  what  can 
they  do  against  an  army?  When  the  time  comes  you 
must  dress  yourself  in  these  clothes  and  I  will  try  to 
conceal  you." 

"  But  I  cannot  do  that,  Yossouf,"  AYill  said.  "  It  is 
very  good  of  you  to  try  and  aid  me  to  escape;  but  I 
am  a  soldier,  and  must  share  the  fortunes  of  my  officers 
whatever  they  may  be.  If  they  fight  I  shall  fight. 
If  they  are  killed  I  must  be  killed  too.  I  cannot  run 
away  and  hide  myself  when  the  danger  comes." 

The  lad  hung  his  head. 

"Then  Yossouf  will  die  too,"  he  said  quietly;  "he 
will  not  leave  his  white  friend." 

"No,  no,  Yossouf,"  Will  said  warmly;  "you  have 
nothing  to  do  with  the  business.  Why  should  you 
involve  yourself  in  our  fate?  You  can  do  me  no  good 
by  sacrificing  your  life." 

Yossouf  shook  his  head. 

"If,"  he  said  presently,  "the  time  comes,  and  you 
see  that  it  is  of  no  use  any  longer  to  fight,  and  that 
all  is  lost,  would  you  try  to  escape  then?" 

"Yes,"  Will  said,  "certainly  I  would.  When  all 
hope  of  further  resistance  is  gone,  and  fighting  is  use- 
less, my  duty  would  be  at  an  end,  and  if  I  could  manage 
to  escape  then  I  should  be  justified  in  trying  to  save 
my  life." 

Yossouf  looked  relieved.  "Very  well,"  he  said,  "then 
at  the  last  I  will  try  and  save  you." 


A  WARNING.  207 

"  Still,  Yossouf,"  Will  said,  "  we  must  hope  that  it  i^ 
not  coming  to  that.  The  Ameer  has  sworn  to  protect 
ns,  and  he  can  do  so.  The  Bala-Hissar  is  strong,  and 
he  can  easily  hold  it  with  one  or  two  of  his  Cabul 
reo'iments  ao-ainst  the  Heratee  men.  He  has  three  or 
four  of  these  regiments  here.  He  cannot  be  so  false 
to  his  oath  as  to  allow  his  guests  to  be  massacred." 

Yossouf  made  a  gesture  which  expressed  his  utter 
disbelief  in  the  Ameer,  and  then  again  went  about  his 
duties.  On  the  2d  of  September,  on  his  return  from 
the  town,  he  reported  that  there  was  great  excitement 
among  the  people,  and  that  he  believed  that  the  night 
would  not  pass  off  without  trouble.  ^lajor  Cavagnari, 
to  whom  Will  reported  the  news,  sent  in  a  message  to 
the  Ameer,  whose  palace  was  within  two  or  three 
hundred  yards,  and  begged  him  to  take  measures  to 
secure  the  Bala-Hissar  against  any  attack  by  the 
Heratees. 

The  members  of  the  escort  available  for  the  defence 
of  the  residency  were  but  about  fifty  men.  Most  of  the 
cavalry  were  away;  some  were  down  the  pass  with 
despatches,  the  rest  were  stationed  a  short  distance  off 
in  the  plain,  as  forage  was  difficult  to  obtain  in  the  fort. 
The  Ameer  returned  a  curt  message  to  Major  Cava- 
gnari, saying  that  there  was  no  cause  for  uneasiness. 
The  latter,  however,  doubled  the  sentries  at  the  gate  of 
the  little  inclosure. 

Just  as  the  officers  were  about  to  retire  to  rest 
Yossouf,  who  had  a  short  time  before  gone  out  again, 


208  THE   ATTACK   ON   THE  MISSION. 

telling  Will  that  he  would  bring  back  news  of  what 
was  fi^oino^  on,  ran  in. 

"  The  Heratees  are  coming,"  he  said.  "  The  gates  of 
the  fort  have  been  left  open.  The  Cabul  men  are  all 
in  their  barracks.  They  are  pouring  in  at  the  gates; 
do  you  not  hear  them?" 

William  Gale  ran  to  the  window,  and  could  hear  a 
loud  and  confused  noise  of  yelling  and  shouting.  He 
ran  in  to  the  envoy's  room  and  warned  him  that  the 
Heratees  were  at  hand.  Without  the  loss  of  a  moment's 
time  Lieutenant  Hamilton  got  his  men  under  arms, 
and  posted  them  at  the  upper  windows  of  the  house, 
where  their  fire  would  command  the  approaches  to  the 
gate.  Quickly  as  this  was  done  the  Afghans  were  close 
at  hand  by  the  time  that  each  man  was  at  his  post, 
and  instantly  opened  a  scattering  fire  at  the  residency, 
shouting  to  the  soldiers  to  come  out  and  join  them,  and 
to  bring  out  the  Kaffir  officers  to  be  killed.  The 
Pathans  were,  however,  true  to  their  salt,  and  in  reply 
opened  a  steady  fire  upon  the  mass  of  the  enemy.  With 
wild  3'ells  the  Afghans  rushed  at  the  gate,  but  so 
steadily  and  rapidly  did  the  defenders  shoot  from  the 
upper  windows  and  loopholes  cut  in  the  gate  that  the 
assailants  were  forced  to  fall  back. 

"  That's  right,  my  lads,"  Major  Cavagnari  said  cheer- 
fully to  his  men;  "we  can  hold  the  place  for  some 
time,  and  the  Ameer  will  brinof  the  Cabul  reoiments 
down  in  no  time  and  sweep  away  these  rascals." 

The  Af ohans,  now  some  thousands  strono-^  assisted  by 


A  DESPERATE   RESISTANCE.  209 

all  the  Budmashes  and  turbulent  portion  of  the  popu- 
lation of  Cabul,  surrounded  the  house  on  all  sides,  and 
kept  up  a  heavy  and  incessant  fire,  which  was  coolly 
and  steadily  returned  by  the  Guides.  After  an  hour's 
fighting  there  was  a  sudden  roar  above  the  rattle  of 
musketry,  followed  by  another  and  another.  Simul- 
taneously came  the  crash  of  shells.  One  burst  in  the 
house,  the  other  tore  through  the  gate.  Still  there  was 
no  siofn  of  the  Cabul  reo-iments. 

Eight  or  ten  guns  were  brought  to  play  on  the  little 
garrison.  The  gate  was  broken  down,  and  nearly  half 
the  force  of  the  house  were  already  killed  or  wounded 
by  the  musketry  and  shell  fire.  Still  they  continued 
the  defence.  Over  and  over  again  the  Afghans  swarmed 
up  close  to  the  gate,  only  to  fall  back  again  before  the 
steady  fire  of  the  Snider  rifles  of  the  Guides.  Major 
Cavagnari  went  from  room  to  room  encouraging  the 
men,  while  the  other  officers  and  AYill  Gale,  taking- 
rifles  which  had  fallen  from  the  hands  of  men  no  longer 
able  to  use  them,  set  an  example  of  cool  and  steady 
firing  to  their  men. 

For  four  hours  the  unequal  contest  continued;  then 
a  cry  arose  from  the  men  that  the  house  was  on  fire. 

It  was  but  too  true.  A  shell  had  exploded  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  house  and  had  ignited  the  woodwork, 
and  the  fire  had  already  obtained  so  firm  a  hold  that  it 
was  impossible  to  extinguish  it.  A  few  of  the  men 
continued  their  fire  from  the  windows  to  the  last,  while 
the  rest  carried  their  wounded  comrades  out  into  the 

(274)  0 


210  A   LAST  STRUGGLE. 

court-yard.  As  the  flames  shot  out  from  the  lower 
windows  the  yells  of  the  Afghans  rose  higher  and 
higher,  and  a  fearful  storm  of  lead  and  iron  swept 
down  upon  the  little  band,  who  were  now  plainly  visible 
in  the  light  of  the  flames.  Even  now  the  enemy  did  not 
dare,  although  numbering  hundreds  to  one,  to  come  too 
close  upon  them,  though  they  flocked  up  close  to  the 
gate. 

"Now,  lads!"  Major  Cavagnari  exclaimed,  "let  us 
rush  out  and  die  fighting  hand  to  hand;  better  that 
than  to  be  shot  down  defenceless  here." 

Thus  saying  he  led  the  way,  and  charged  out  upon  the 
crowded  foe.  There  were  but  Lieutenant  Hamilton  and 
eio'ht  men  to  follow  him,  all  the  rest  had  fallen.  Dr. 
Kelly  had  been  shot  in  the  house  while  dressing  the 
wound  of  one  of  the  soldiers.  Mr.  Jenkyns  had  fallen 
outside.  Will  Gale  had  twice  been  wounded,  but  was 
still  on  his  feet,  and,  grasping  his  musket,  he  rushed 
forward  with  his  comrades.  A  figure  sprang  out  just 
as  he  reached  the  gate,  and  with  a  sudden  rush  carried 
him  along  for  some  paces.  Then  he  stumbled  over  a 
fragment  of  the  wall,  and  fell  just  at  the  corner  of  the 
gate,  which  had  swung  inward  when  burst  open  by  the 
enemy's  shell.  Confused  and  bewildered  he  struggled 
to  regain  his  feet. 

"Keep  quiet,  master!"  Yossouf's  voice  said  in  his 
ear.     "  It  is  your  only  chance  of  safety." 

So  saying  he  dragged  Will  into  the  narrow  space 
between  the  gate  and  the  wall;  then  as  he  rose  to 


WILL   gale's   escape.  211 

his  feet  he  wrapped  round  him  a  loose  Afghan  cloak, 
and  pressed  a  black  sheepskin  cap  far  down  over  his 
face.  In  a  minute  there  was  the  sound  of  a  fierce 
struo-o'le  without.  The  shots  of  the  revolvers  of  the 
two  English  officers  rang  out  in  quick  succession, 
mingled  with  the  loud  report  of  the  Afghan  muskets. 
The  savage  yells  rose  high  and  triumphant.  The  last 
of  the  D'allant  band  who  had  for  hours  defended  the 
embassy  had  fallen.  Then  there  was  a  rush  through 
the  gate  as  the  Afghans  sw^armed  into  the  court-yard, 
till  the  space  around  the  burning  house  was  well- 
nigh  full. 

Unperceived  Will  Gale  and  Yossouf  stepped  from 
behind  the  gate  and  joined  the  throng,  and  at  once 
made  their  way  into  the  stables,  where  several  of  the 
Budmashes  were  already  engaged  in  their  work  of 
plunder.  Yossouf  caught  up  three  or  four  horse-rugs 
and  made  them  into  a  loose  bundle,  and  signed  to  Will 
to  do  the  same.  The  young  soldier  did  so,  and  lifted 
them  on  his  shoulder  so  as  to  partly  hide  his  face. 
Then  he  followed  Yossouf  into  the  court-yard  again. 

Already  there  was  a  stream  of  men  with  saddles, 
rugs,  muskets,  and  other  plunder  making  their  way 
out,  while  others  were  still  thronging  in.  Joining  the 
former  Will  and  his  guide  were  soon  outside  the  inclo- 
sure.  At  any  other  time  his  disguise  w- ould  have  been 
noticed  at  once,  but  in  the  crowd  his  legs  were  hidden, 
and  all  were  too  intent  upon  plunder  and  too  excited 
at  their  success  to  notice  him. 


212  THE  DISGUISE. 

Once  outside  the  wall  he  was  comparatively  safe; 
the  light  thrown  over  the  court-yard  by  the  blazing 
house  made  the  darkness  beyond  all  the  more  complete. 
Keeping  carefully  in  shadow  Yossouf  led  him  along  to 
a  clump  of  bushes  in  a  garden  a  hundred  yards  from 
the  house.  Stooping  here  he  pulled  out  a  bundle. 
"Here,"  he  said,  "is  the  uniform.  Put  it  on  quickly!" 
It  was  but  the  work  of  a  minute  for  Will  to  attire 
himself  in  the  uniform  of  the  Afghan  soldier.  He  had 
still  retained  the  musket  which  he  had  in  his  hand 
when  Yossouf  had  leapt  upon  him,  and  as  he  now  went 
on  with  his  guide  he  had  no  fear  whatever  of  being 
detected.  He  still  carried  the  bundle  of  rugs  on  his 
shoulder.  As  they  walked  round  towards  the  lower 
gate  of  the  Bala-Hissar  they  met  numbers  of  villagers 
and  townspeople  thronging  in.  These  had  waited  to 
hear  the  issue  of  the  attack  before  leaving  their  homes; 
but  now  that  the  arrival  of  the  plunderers  from  the 
residency  and  the  cessation  of  the  fire  told  of  the 
successful  termination  of  the  assault,  they  flocked  up 
to  join  in  the  rejoicings  over  the  annihilation  of  the 
Kaffirs. 


CHAPTER  XIY. 


THE  ADVANCE  UPON  CABUL. 


HROUGHOUT  the  long  hours  of  the  night  of 
the  2d  of  September,  while  the  roll  of  mus- 
ketry and  the  roar  of  cannon  had  gone  on 
without  a  moment's  pause  just  outside  the  walls  of  his 
palace,  Yakoob  Khan  had  made  no  movement  whatever 
to  protect  his  guests  or  fulfil  his  own  solemn  promises. 
Silent  and  sullen  he  had  sat  in  his  council-chamber. 

The  disgrace  of  a  broken  promise  is  not  one  which 
weighs  heavily  upon  an  Afghan's  mind,  and  it  is  not 
probable  that  the  thought  of  his  tarnished  honour 
troubled  him  in  the  slightest  degree ;  but  he  knew  that 
the  massacre  which  was  being  perpetrated  at  his  door 
would  be  avenged,  and  that  the  English  troops  which 
had  so  easily  beaten  the  army  which  his  father  had 
spent  so  many  years  in  preparing  would  be  set  in  move- 
ment against  Cabul  the  moment  the  news  reached 
India.  He  cannot  but  have  dreaded  the  consequences. 
But  he  apparently  feared  even  more  to  incur  the  hos- 
tility of  the  Heratee  regiment  by  interfering  to  save 
their  victims. 


214  THE   PLANS   OF  THE  FUGITIVES. 

Again  and  again  during  the  night  his  wisest  coun- 
cillors besought  him  to  call  upon  the  loyal  Cabullee 
reo'iments  to  act  asjainst  the  Heratees,  but  in  vain.  It 
is  doubtful  whether  Yakoob  was  previously  informed  of 
the  intended  massacre,  but  there  is  strong  reason  to 
believe  that  he  was  so;  the  proofs,  however,  were  not 
clear  and  definite.  His  conduct  cost  him  his  throne, 
and  condemned  him  to  remain  to  the  end  of  his  life  a 
dishonoured  pensioner  and  semi-prisoner  in  India. 

Many  eager  questions  were  asked  of  Will  and  his 
companion  as  they  made  their  way  down  to  the  gate 
of  the  Bala-Hissar.  Yossouf  took  upon  himself  to  an- 
swer them,  and  they  passed  through  the  gate  without 
the  slightest  suspicion. 

"  Which  way  now  ?" 

"  I  think  it  will  be  safest  to  go  into  the  city.  We 
might  lie  hid  for  a  few  days  in  some  deserted  hut,  but 
sooner  or  later  our  presence  there  would  excite  com- 
ment. It  will  be  best,  I  think,  to  go  into  the  city. 
In  the  quarters  of  the  Parsee  merchants  there  are 
assuredly  some  who  would  give  you  shelter.  Domajee, 
who  was  the  contractor  for  the  supply  of  the  mis- 
sion, would,  I  should  think,  be  best  to  go  to.  There  is 
little  danger,  for  none  will  suspect  your  presence  there; 
his  servants  are  all  Hindoos." 

"  That  is  the  best  place,  Yossouf.  I  have  been  down 
several  times  to. Domajee,  and  he  is  certainly  devoted 
to  the  English;  we  can  but  try  him." 

The  first  dawn  of  morning  was  breaking  when  Will 


AN    ASYLUM.  215 

and  his  faithful  friend  arrived  at  the  door  of  the 
Parsee  trader  in  the  Hindoo  quarter  of  Cabul.  The 
doors  were  fastened  and  barred,  for  it  was  impossible 
to  say  whether  the  attack  upon  the  mission  which  had 
been  heard  going  on  all  night  might  not  be  followed  by  a 
fanatic  outbreak  against  the  Hindoo  and  Parsee  traders 
in  the  Hindoo  quarter,  therefore  there  was  little  sleep 
that  night.  Yossouf  knocked  gently  at  the  door. 
"Who  is  there?"  a  voice  at  once  inquired  from  within. 
''I  come  on  urgent  business  with  Domajee,"  Yos- 
souf replied;  "open  quickly,  there  are  but  two  of  us 
here." 

There  was  a  slight  pause,  and  then  the  door  was 
opened,  and  closed  immediately  the  two  visitors  had 
entered.  A  light  was  burning  in  the  large  ante-room 
as  they  entered  it,  and  several  Hindoos  who  had  been 
lying  wrapped  up  in  cloths  on  the  floor  rose  to  their 
feet  to  inspect  the  new-comers.  A  moment  later  the 
trader  himself  came  down  the  stairs  from  an  apartment 
above. 

"What  is  it?"  he  asked.  He  did  not  pause  for  an 
answer.  The  light  from  the  lamp  he  carried  fell  upon 
Will's  face,  now  white  as  a  sheet  from  loss  of  blood. 
With  the  one  word,  "Follow,"  the  Parsee  turned  on  his 
heel  and  led  the  way  upstairs. 

"Has  the  mission  been  captured?"  he  asked,  as  they 
entered  an  empty  room. 

"Yes,"  Will  replied,  "and  I  believe  that  I  am  the  only 
survivor." 


216  THE   PARSEE   TRADER. 

The  fatigue  of  climbing  the  stairs  completed  the 
work  caused  by  prolonged  excitement  and  loss  of 
blood;  and  as  he  spoke  he  tottered  and  would  have 
fallen  had  not  Yossouf  seized  him,  and  with  the  assis- 
tance of  the  Parsee  laid  him  on  a  couch. 

In  a  few  words  Yossouf  informed  the  trader  of  what 
had  happened,  and  satisfied  him  that  no  suspicion  could 
arise  of  the  presence  of  one  of  the  British  in  his  house. 
As  the  residency  had  been  burnt  down,  and  the  bodies 
of  those  who  had  fallen  within  it  consumed,  no  one 
would  suspect  that  one  of  the  five  Englishmen  there 
had  effected  his  escape,  and  it  would  be  supposed  that 
Will's  body,  like  that  of  Dr.  Kelly,  had  been  consumed 
in  the  flames. 

The  Parsee  was  sure  that  Cabul  would  soon  be  reoc- 
cupied  by  the  British,  and  putting  aside  his  loyalty  to 
them  he  felt  that  his  concealment  of  an  English  sur- 
vivor of  the  massacre  would  be  greatly  to  his  advantage, 
and  would  secure  for  him  the  custom  of  the  English 
upon  their  arrival  at  the  town.  He  first  descended  the 
stairs,  and  warned  his  Hindoo  followers  on  no  account 
whatever  to  breathe  a  word  of  the  entry  of  strangers 
there.  Then  he  again  returned  to  the  room,  where 
Yossouf  was  sprinkling  water  on  Will's  face,  and  was 
endeavouring  to  recover  him  to  consciousness. 

"There  is  blood  on  the  couch,"  the  trader  said;  "he 
is  w^ounded,  and  is  suffering  from  its  loss.  Seel  the 
sleeve  of  his  coat  is  soaked  with  blood,  but  I  see  no 
mark  on  the  cloth." 


IN    GOOD    HANDS.  217 

"  No,"  Yossouf  replied;  "  he  has  put  on  that  uniform 
since  the  fight." 

"Go  down-stairs,"  the  trader  said;  "my  wife  and 
daughter  will  see  to  him." 

As  soon  as  Yossouf  left  the  room  Domajee's  wife 
and  daughter  entered  with  many  exclamations  of  sur- 
prise and  alarm.  They  were  at  once  silenced  by  the 
trader,  who  bid  them  cut  off  the  wounded  man's  uni- 
form and  stanch  his  wounds.  Will  had  been  hit  in 
two  places.  One  ball  had  passed  through  the  left  arm, 
fortunately  without  injuring  the  bone;  the  other  had 
struck  him  in  the  side,  had  run  round  his  ribs  and 
gone  out  behind,  inflicting  an  ugly-looking  but  not 
serious  wound — its  course  being  marked  by  a  blue  line 
on  the  flesh  behind  the  two  holes  of  entry  and  exit. 
The  wounds  were  washed  and  bound  up,  some  cordial 
was  poured  between  his  lips,  and  ere  long  he  opened 
his  eyes  and  looked  round  in  bewilderment. 

"You  are  safe  and  among  friends,"  the  Parsee  said. 
"  Drink  a  little  more  of  the  cordial,  and  then  go  off 
quietly  to  sleep.  You  need  have  no  fear  of  being  dis- 
covered, and  your  friends  will  be  here  ere  long." 

Four  of  the  Hindoo  servants  now,  at  the  order  of  the 
trader,  came  upstairs,  and,  lifting  the  couch,  carried 
Will  to  a  cool  and  airy  chamber  in  the  upper  story  of 
the  house.  Here  a  soft  bed  of  rugs  and  mattresses  was 
prepared,  and  Will  was  soon  in  a  quiet  sleep,  with 
Yossouf  watching  by  his  side. 

It  was  but  twenty-four  hours  after  the  massacre 


218  PREPARATIONS    FOR  VENGEANCE. 

that  a  well-mounted  native 'from  Cabul  brought  the 
news  over  the  Shatur-Gardan  Pass  into  the  Khurum 
valley;  thence  it  was  telegraphed  to  Simla,  and  in  a 
few  hours  all  India  rang  with  it.  Not  an  instant  was 
lost  in  making  preparations  for  avenging  the  murder 
of  the  British  mission.  On  the  same  day  orders  were 
sent  to  Brigadier-General  Massy,  at  that  time  com- 
manding the  field  force  in  the  Khurum  valley,  to  move 
the  2Sd  Punjaub  Pioneers,  the  5th  Ghoorkas,  and  a 
mountain  battery  to  the  crest  of  the  Shatur-Gardan 
Pass,  and  to  intrench  themselves  there. 

A  day  or  two  later  the  72d  Highlanders  and  the 
5th  Punjaub  Infantry  ascended  the  Peiwar-Khotal  to 
Ali-Kheyl,  to  secure  the  road  between  the  Khotal  and 
the  pass.  The  72d  then  moved  forward  and  joined 
the  23d  Pioneers  and  5th  Ghoorkas  on  the  Shatur- 
Gardan,  and  on  the  13th  General  Baker  arrived  there 
and  took  the  command ;  but  some  time  was  needed  be- 
fore the  advance  could  commence.  As  is  usual  with 
the  British,  the  great  transport  train  which  had  with 
such  pains  been  collected  and  organized  for  the  war, 
had  been  dispersed  immediately  peace  was  signed,  and 
the  whole  work  had  now  to  be  recommenced. 

Vast  numbers  of  animals  had  been  used  up  during 
the  campaign,  and  there  was  the  greatest  difficulty  in 
obtaining  the  minimum  number  which  was  required 
before  the  troops  could  move.  At  last  General  Roberts 
managed  to  collect  in  the  Punjaub  2000  mules  and  700 
camels  and  bullocks.    The  tribes  in  the  Khurum  valley, 


THE  aiheer's  messages.  219 

too,  who  had  been  kindly  treated  and  were  well  satis- 
fied with  the  change  of  masters,  furnished  many 
animals  for  the  transport  of  stores  as  far  as  the  Shatur- 
Gardan. 

The  news  had  thrown  the  Gilgis  and  other  tribes 
among  the  mountains  beyond  the  Peiwar-Khotal  into 
a  state  of  ferment,  and  several  determined  attacks  were 
made  by  them  upon  convoys  on  their  way  up  to  the 
head  of  the  pass.  These,  however,  were  always  suc- 
cessfully repulsed  by  the  baggage  guards  with  con- 
siderable loss  to  the  assailants,  and  on  the  26th  Sep- 
tember, three  weeks  from  the  date  of  the  massacre. 
General  Roberts  joined  the  troops  at  Ali-Kheyl  and 
moved  forward  to  the  Shatur-Gardan. 

Durinof  this  time  two  or  three  letters  had  been  re- 
ceived  from  the  Ameer,  who  wrote  to  General  Roberts 
deprecating  any  advance  of  the  British  troops,  and 
saying  that  he  was  trying  to  restore  order,  to  put 
down  the  mutinous  Heratee  troops,  and  to  punish  them 
for  their  conduct. 

As,  however,  the  details  which  had  been  received  of 
the  massacre  showed  that  the  Ameer  had  behaved  in 
a  most  suspicious  if  not  in  a  most  treacherous  manner 
at  the  time  of  the  massacre,  and  that  if  he  possessed 
any  authority  whatever  over  the  troops  he  had  not 
attempted  to  exercise  it,  no  attention  was  paid  to  his 
letters. 

The  advanced  party  of  the  invading  force  moved 
do^vn  from  the  Shatur-Gardan  Pass.     It  consisted  of 


220  THE   ADVANCE. 

the  12th  and  14th  Bengal  Cavalry,  two  guns  of  the 
Royal  Horse  Artillery,  two  companies  of  the  72d 
Highlanders,  and  the  5th  Punjaub  Native  Infantry. 
The  road  was  found  to  be  extremely  steep  and  diffi- 
cult, jand  much  labour  was  necessary  before  it  could 
be  made  practicable  for  guns  and  wheeled  carriages.  No 
enemy  was  encountered,  and  the  little  force  encamped 
at  night  in  the  Logan  valley,  over  which  the  cavalry 
skirmished  far  ahead,  but  found  no  foes  awaiting 
them. 

On  the  following  day  they  made  another  march  for- 
ward, the  brigades  of  Generals  Baker  and  Macpherson 
descending  from  the  pass  into  the  valley.  The  advance 
force  halted  at  Zerghun-Shah,  and  soon  after  they  had 
done  so  some  of  the  cavalry  rode  in  with  the  surpris- 
ing news  that  the  Ameer  was  close  at  hand. 

Half  an  hour  later  Yakoob  Khan,  attended  by  some 
of  his  principal  nobles,  rode  into  camp.  He  was  re- 
ceived with  the  honour  due  to  his  rank,  but  personally 
General  Roberts  greeted  him  with  great  coldness.  The 
Ameer  stated  that  he  came  into  camp  because  he  could 
not  control  the  soldiery  of  Cabul,  and  that  therefore 
he  had  left  the  place  and  come  in  to  show  his  friend- 
ship for  the  English. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  motives  for  his  coming, 
they  were  never  fully  explained;  circumstances  which 
afterwards  occurred  strongly  confirmed  the  suspicion 
that  he  meditated  treachery.  He  was  treated  honour- 
ably; but  the  guard  of  honour  which  was  assigned  to 


EXCITEMENT  AMONG   THE   TRIBES.  221 

him  was  in  fact  a  guard  over  him,  and  from  that  time 
he  was  virtually  a  prisoner. 

General  Roberts  declined  altogether  to  discuss  with 
him  the  events  of  the  massacre  of  Cabul,  saying  that  this 
was  a  matter  which  could  not  now  be  entered  into, 
but  would  be  fully  investigated  on  the  arrival  at  the 
Afghan  capital.  The  following  day  the  brigades  of 
Generals  Baker  and  Macpherson  joined  the  advance  at 
Zerghun-Shah. 

The  amount  of  transport  available  was  only  suffi- 
cient for  half  the  baofo-ao-e  of  the  armv,  and  it  was 
necessary,  therefore,  to  move  forward  in  two  divisions 
— the  one  advancing  a  day's  march,  and  then  halting 
while  the  animals  went  back  to  bring  up  the  baggage 
of  the  second  division  on  the  following  day. 

A  proclamation  was  now  issued  by  the  general  and 
sent  forward  among  the  people  of  the  valley,  saying 
that  the  object  of  the  expedition  was  only  to  punish 
those  concerned  in  the  massacre  at  Cabul,  and  that  all 
loyal  subjects  of  the  Ameer  would  be  well  treated.  On 
the  3d  of  October  Macpherson's  brigade,  with  the  cavalry, 
reached  SufFed-Sang.  Here  they  halted  while  the  bag- 
gage animals  went  back  to  bring  up  General  Baker's 
brigade. 

The  attitude  of  the  people  of  the  valley  had  now 
become  very  threatening.  Great  numbers  of  hill- tribe- 
men  had  come  down,  and  on  this  day  an  attack  was 
made  upon  the  rear-guard,  but  was  beaten  off  with 
loss.     That  the  natives  w^ere  bitterly  hostile  was  un- 


222  THE   AFGHAN    POSITION. 

doubted,  but  they  were  for  the  most  part  waiting  to 
see  the  result  of  the  approaching  fight.  The  Heratee 
and  Cabul  regiments  were  confident  that  they  would 
defeat  the  approaching  column.  They  had  a  great 
advantage  in  numbers,  had  been  drilled  in  European 
fashion,  were  armed  with  Enfields,  and  had  an  enor- 
mous park  of  artillery  at  their  disposal.  They  were 
able  to  choose  their  own  fighting  ground,  and  had 
selected  a  spot  which  gave  them  an  immense  advan- 
tage.    They  were  therefore  confident  of  victory. 

Had  the  British  troops  been  beaten  the  inhabitants 
of  the  Logan  valley  were  prepared  to  rise  to  a  man. 
The  Ghilzais  and  other  hill-tribes  would  have  swept 
down  upon  the  line  of  retreat,  and  few  if  any  of  the 
British  force  would  have  returned  to  tell  the  tale. 

The  next  day  Baker's  division  had  the  post  of  hon- 
our, and  made  a  short  march  to  Chaurasia.  Beyond  this 
village  the  enemy  had  taken  up  their  position.  Three 
miles  beyond  the  village  the  valley  ends,  a  mass  of 
hills  shutting  it  in,  with  only  a  narrow  defile  leading 
through  them  to  the  plain  of  Cabul  beyond. 

Upon  both  sides  of  the  defile  the  enemy  had  placed 
guns  in  position  and  lined  the  whole  circle  of  the  hills 
commanding  the  approach  to  it.  Mountaineers  from 
their  birth,  they  believed  that  although  the  British 
infantry  might  possess  a  superiority  in  the  plain,  they 
could  be  no  match  for  them  on  the  steep  hillside; 
and  they  no  doubt  thought  that  no  attempt  would  be 
made  to  storm  so  strong  a  position,  but  that  the  British 


A  DIFFICULT  ALTERNATIVE.  223 

column  would  march  straight  up  the  valley  into  the 
defile,  where  they  would  be  helplessly  slaughtered  by 
the  guns  and  matchlock  men  on  the  heights.  Judging 
from  their  owm  tactics  they  had  reason  for  the  belief 
that  their  position  was  an  impregnable  one. 

In  their  hill  fio-hts  the  Afo-hans  never  come  to  close 
quarters.  Posted  behind  rocks  and  huge  boulders,  the 
opposing  sides  keep  up  a  distant  musketry  duel,  last- 
ing sometimes  for  days,  until  one  side  or  the  other 
becomes  disheartened  with  its  losses  or  has  exhausted 
its  ammunition.  Then  it  falls  back,  and  the  other 
claims  the  victory.  The  idea  that  English  soldiers 
would,  under  a  heavy  fire  from  their  concealed  force, 
steadily  climb  up  the  broken  mountain-side  and  come 
to  close  quarters,  probably  never  entered  into  their 
calculations. 

At  daybreak  on  the  6th  a  working  party  were  sent 
forward  to  improve  the  road  towards  the  defile.  But 
they  had  scarcely  started  when  the  cavalry  patrol  in 
advance  rode  in  and  announced  that  the  enemy  were 
in  great  strength  on  the  hills,  and  had  guns  in  position 
to  command  the  road. 

General  Eoberts  had  now  a  choice  of  two  courses — 
he  could  either  attack  the  whole  Afghan  force  with 
the  one  division  at  hand,  or  he  could  wait  until  joined 
by  Macpherson's  brigade  next  morning.  The  feat  of 
carrying  such  a  position  in  face  of  an  immensely 
superior  force  with  only  half  of  his  little  command 
was  a  very  serious  one;  but  upon  the  other  hand  every 


224  THE  ADVANCE   AGAINST   THE  AFGHANS. 

hour  added  to  the  number  of  hiUmeii  who  swarmed 
upon  the  flanks  of  the  army  just  beyond  musket  range. 
A  delay  of  twenty-four  hours  would  bring  the  whole 
fighting  force  of  the  tribesmen  into  the  valley,  and 
while  attacking  the  enemy's  position  in  the  front  he 
would  be  liable  to  an  assault  upon  his  rear  by  them. 

Confident  in  the  valour  of  his  soldiers  he  chose  the 
first  alternative,  and  at  eleven  o'clock  his  little  force 
marched  out  from  the  camp  to  attack  the  Afghan  army. 

By  this  time  the  enemy's  position  had  been  recon- 
noitred, and  it  was  found  to  be  too  strong  for  a  direct 
attack.  It  was  therefore  resolved  to  ascend  the  hills 
on  both  flanks  and  so  to  drive  their  defenders  back 
beyond  the  defile.  This  in  any  case  would  have  been 
the  best  mode  of  assault,  but  a^jainst  semi-savao^e  ene- 
mies  flank  attacks  are  peculiarly  efifective.  Having 
prepared  for  an  assault  in  one  direction,  they  are  dis- 
concerted and  disheartened  by  finding  themselves  at- 
tacked in  a  difierent  manner,  and  the  fear  of  a  flank 
being  turned  and  the  line  of  retreat  thereby  menaced 
will  generally  sufiice  to  cause  a  rapid  retreat. 

General  Baker  himself  took  the  command  of  the 
left  attack.  His  force  consisted  of  four  guns  of  No.  2 
Mountain  Battery,  two  Gatling  guns,  the  7th  com- 
pany of  Sappers  and  Miners,  a  wing  of  the  72d  High- 
landers, six  companies  of  the  5th  Ghoorkas,  200  men 
of  the  5th  Punjaub  Infantry,  and  450  of  the  23d 
Pioneers.  This  was  the  main  column  of  attack.  The 
left    column,   under    the   command    of    Major  White 


THE   BATTLE   OF   CHAR  A  SI  A.  225 

of  the  72d  Highlanders,  consisted  of  a  wing  of  that 
regiment,  100  men  of  the  2od  Pioneers,  three  guns  of 
the  Royal  Artillery,  and  two  squadrons  of  cavalry. 
This  attack  was  intended  only  as  a  feint,  and  to  dis- 
tract the  attention  of  the  Afghans  from  the  main  at- 
tack. A  strong  reserve  was  left  in  Chaurasia  to  guard 
the  bao-o'ao^e  and  to  overhaul  the  tribesmen. 

As  General  Baker's  column  reached  the  foot  of  the 
hills,  the  23d,  who  led  the  advance,  thrown  out  in 
skirmishing  line,  began  to  climb  the  ascent.  The  enemy 
were  armed  with  Sniders  and  Enfields,  and  their  fire 
was  rapid  and  continuous;  fortunately  it  was  by  no 
means  accurate,  and  our  losses  were  small. 

The  Afghans  in  their  hill  fighting  are  accustomed  to 
fire  very  slowly  and  deliberately,  taking  steady  aim 
with  their  guns  resting  on  the  rocks,  and  so  fighting 
they  are  excellent  shots.  It  is  probable,  however,  that 
the  steady  advance  of  our  men  towards  them  flurried 
and  disconcerted  them,  and  that  they  thought  more  of 
firing  quickly  than  of  taking  a  correct  aim.  The  72d 
pressing  up  the  hill  were  assisted  by  the  fire  of  the 
mountain  guns  and  Gatlings,  and  by  that  of  the  Pun- 
jaubees  in  their  rear.  Gradually  the  upper  slopes  of 
the  hills  were  gained,  and  the  British  troops  pressing- 
forward  drove  the  Afghans  back  along  the  crest. 
Several  times  they  made  obstinate  stands,  holding 
their  ground  until  the  72d  were  close  to  them. 

These,  however,  would  not  be  denied.  The  massacre 
of  the  mission  at  Cabul  had  infuriated  the  soldiers,  and 

(27i)  p 


226  THE   CAPTURE   OF   THE   DEFILE. 

each  man  was  animated  with  a  stern  determination 
to  avenge  our  murdered  countrymen.  For  an  hour  and 
a  half  the  fight  continued,  and  then  the  Afghans  aban- 
doned the  ridge  and  fled  in  confusion.  They  rallied 
upon  some  low  hills  600  yards  from  the  rear,  but  the 
mountain  guns  and  Gatlings  opened  upon  them,  and 
the  whole  line  advancing  to  the  attack,  the  enemy 
fell  back.  Major  White's  column  had  been  doing  ex- 
cellent service  on  the  rio^ht.  Althouo-h  the  attack  had 
been  intended  only  as  a  feint  it  was  pushed  forward 
so  vigorously  that  it  met  with  a  success  equal  to  that 
which  had  attended  the  main  column  on  the  left.  The 
enemy  were  driven  ofi"  the  hills  on  the  right  of  the 
defile.  Twenty  guns  were  captured,  and  the  direct 
road  cleared  of  the  enemy. 

Unfortunately  our  cavalry  was  in  the  rear.  The 
road  through  the  pass  was  difficult,  and  before  they 
could  get  through  into  the  plain  on  the  other  side 
the  masses  of  Af o^hans  had  fallen  back  into  the  stronof 

CD  O 

villages  scattered  over  it,  and  could  not  be  attacked  by 
cavalry  alone.  The  enemy  had  from  9000  to  10,000  men 
upon  the  ridge,  including  thirteen  regiments  of  regular 
troops.  They  left  300  dead  upon  the  field,  and  besides 
these  carried  oflf  large  numbers  of  killed  and  wounded 
during  the  fight.  Upon  our  side  only  20  were  killed 
and  67  wounded. 

Had  General  Roberts  had  his  whole  force  with  him, 
he  could  after  capturing  the  hills  have  at  once  pushed 
forward  and  have  attacked  the  enemy  on  the  plain,  and 


DISPERSAL   OF  THE   AFGHAN   ARMY.  227 

the  Afghans,  disheartened  and  panic-stricken,  would 
have  been  completely  crushed.  With  so  small  a  force 
in  hand,  and  the  possibility  of  a  serious  attack  by  the 
tribes  on  his  rear,  General  Roberts  did  not  think  it 
prudent  to  advance  farther,  and  the  regiments  which 
had  taken  the  principal  part  in  the  massacre  of  Cabul 
marched  away  unmolested. 

Enormously  superior  as  they  still  were  in  numbers 
they  had  no  thought  of  further  resistance.  The  cap- 
ture of  positions  which  they  deemed  impregnable  by 
a  force  so  inferior  in  number  to  their  own  had  utterly 
disheartened  them,  and  the  Heratee  regiments,  which 
but  the  day  before  had  been  so  proudly  confident  of 
their  ability  to  exterminate  the  Kaffirs,  were  now  ut- 
terly demoralized  and  panic-stricken.  In  the  night  the 
whole  of  the  Afghan  troops  scattered  and  fled.  Our 
cavalry,  under  General  Massy,  swept  along  the  plain 
of  Cabul,  and,  skirting  the  town,  kept  on  as  far  as  the 
Ameer's  great  intrenched  camp  at  Sherpur,  three  miles 
further  along  the  valley.   Here  75  guns  were  captured. 

In  the  morning  Macpherson  arrived.  General  Ro- 
berts now  advanced  with  his  whole  force  of  infantry 
and  found  that  he  had  no  longer  a  foe  before  him. 
The  Afghan  army  had  disappeared.  There  was  no 
longer  any  occasion  for  haste,  and  the  column  halted 
until  all  the  baggage  had  been  brought  up  through  the 
difficult  defile.  The  total  defeat  of  the  Afghan  army 
had  overawed  the  tribesmen,  and  these  at  once  retired 
to  their  hills  ao-ain. 


228  THE  ENTRY   INTO   CABUL. 

The  villagers,  however,  were  bitterly  hostile,  and 
seized  every  opportunity  of  firing  at  small  bodies  of 
troops  on  cavalry  patrols.  This  continued  for  some 
time,  and  General  Roberts  at  last  was  obliged  to  punish 
it  with  severity,  and  in  such  cases  aH  found  with  arms 
in  their  hands  were  at  once  shot.  On  the  11th  of  Oc- 
tober Sir  Frederick  Roberts  and  his  staff  with  a  cavalry 
escort  rode  into  the  Bala-Hissar,  and  the  next  morning 
the  British  troops  marched  into  the  fort.  The  gates  of 
Cabul  stood  open,  and  a  column  was  marched  through 
the  town  and  formal  possession  taken  of  it. 

During  the  first  ^ve  weeks  which  elapsed  after  the 
massacre  of  the  mission  William  Gale  remained  almost 
prostrate  in  the  house  of  the  friendly  Parsee  trader.  He 
had  barely  recovered  his  strength  after  his  prolonged 
illness  when  the  attack  was  made,  and  the  events  of 
that  night,  and  the  great  loss  of  blood  which  he  had 
suffered,  had  reduced  his  strength  to  that  of  an  infant. 
Under  the  care  of  the  Parsee  and  his  family,  however, 
he  slowly  but  steadily  regained  strength.  For  the  first 
month  but  little  news  from  without  reached  him ;  then 
a  report  came  that  the  British  had  assembled  in  con- 
siderable force  on  the  crest  of  the  Shatur-Gardan,  and 
were  going  to  move  on  Cabul  from  that  direction. 
Then  day  by  day  the  tidings  came  in  of  the  advance 
of  the  force. 

It  was  reported  generally  that  the  Ameer  had  gone 
out  to  meet  them,  with  the  intention  of  leaving  them 
when  the  decisive   moment  arrived  and  taking  com- 


AN   ANXIOUS   DAY.  229 

mand  of  the  tribesmen,  who  would  fall  upon  and  annihi- 
late them.  On  the  6th  the  town  was  unusually  quiet, 
and  Will  heard  that  the  Afghan  army  had  moved  out 
to  occupy  the  hills  commanding  the  approach  through 
the  defile,  and  that  with  the  aid  of  the  tribesmen  the 
British  army  was  to  be  exterminated  there. 


CHAPTER   XV. 


THE   FIGHTING   ROUND    CABUL. 


LL  day  long  on  the  6tli  of  October  William 
Gale  sat  at  an  open  window  in  the  upper 
story  of  the  Parsee's  house  facing  west,  and 
listened  to  the  distant  roar  of  the  battle,  while  all  Cabul 
was  in  a  state  of  wild  excitement  in  the  sure  anticipa- 
tion of  victory.  Will  felt  equally  confident  as  to  the 
result  of  the  battle.  He  knew  that,  well  led,  a  British 
force  could  be  trusted  to  carry  any  position  held  by  the 
Afghans,  and  he  felt  sure  that  even  should  he  fail  to 
carry  it  by  direct  attack  the  English  general  would  sooner 
or  later  succeed  in  turning  it  by  flank  movements. 

About  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  William  noticed 
a  chancre  in  the  character  of  the  sounds  in  the  town.  In 
the  Hindoo  quarter  all  had  been  quiet,  for  the  inhabi- 
tants greatly  feared  that,  in  a  burst  of  fanaticism  fol- 
lowing a  victory  achieved  over  the  British,  the  Afghans 
might  sack  the  Hindoo  quarter  and  murder  its  inha- 
bitants. Yossouf,  however,  had  been  all  the  morning 
out  in  the  town,  and  had  from  time  to  time  brought  in 
a  report  of  the  rumours  current  there. 


CONFLICTING    EMOTIONS.  231 

At  first  it  was  said  that  the  British  were  being  ut- 
terly routed,  that  they  were  being  exterminated  by 
the  Afghan  fire,  that  the  hill -tribes  were  sweeping 
down  upon  their  rear,  and  that  not  a  man  would  escape. 
Presently  the  reports  became  more  contradictory.   The 
firing  was  still  heard,  but  it  was  no  longer  one  con- 
tinuous roll.     Some  said  that  the  British  were  anni- 
hilated; others  that,  repulsed  in  their  attack,  they  had 
fallen  back  to  their  camp;  but  soon  after  two  o'clock 
Yossouf  rushed  up  to  William's  room  with  the  news 
that  the  Afghans  had  been  driven  from  the  heights, 
and  that  the  British  were  in  possession  of  these  and  of 
the  defile  through  them.     Yossouf  had  throughout  the 
morning   been  swayed   by  conflicting    emotions   and 
wishes.    At  one  moment  he  hoped  that  his  countrymen 
might  conquer;  then  the  fear  that  after  victory  the 
Hindoo  quarter  might  be  sacked  and  his  English  friend 
discovered  and  killed,  overpowered  his  feeling  of  pa- 
triotism. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  Afghanistan  has  for 
centuries  been  rather  a  geographical  expression  than 
a  country.  Its  population  is  composed  of  a  great 
number  of  tribes  without  any  common  feelings  or  in- 
terest, and  often  engaged  in  desperate  wars  and  con- 
flicts with  each  other.  The  two  leading  tribes,  the 
Ghilzais  and  Durances,  had  long  struggled  for  ascen- 
dency in  the  cultivated  portion  of  the  country.  For 
a  long  period  the  Ghilzais  had  had  the  supremacy, 
but  the  Durances  were  now  lords  of  the  country. 


232  THE   AFGHAN  TRIBE. 

The  mountain  tribes  for  the  most  part  held  them- 
selves entirely  independent,  and  although  in  time  they 
gave  a  nominal  allegiance  to  the  Ameer  of  Cabul,  yet> 
as  had  been  shown  in  the  Khurum  valley,  they  hated 
their  native  masters  with  an  animosity  far  exceeding 
that  which  they  felt  towards  the  British.  That 
throughout  the  war  the  tribesmen  were  ready  when 
they  saw  an  opportunity  to  attack  English  convoys 
and  small  columns  is  true,  but  they  were  animated  by 
a  love  of  plunder  rather  than  of  country;  and  over  a 
considerable  area  of  Afghanistan,  notably  at  Candahar, 
the  people  in  general  would  have  infinitely  preferred 
the  mild  and  just  rule  of  the  English  to  the  military 
tyranny  of  Cabul. 

Thus  Yossouf  had  grown  up  without  understanding 
the  meaning  of  the  feeling  which  we  call  patriotism.  He 
had,  it  is  true,  been  taught  to  hate  the  unbelievers,  but 
this  feeling  had  disappeared  on  his  acquaintance  with 
Will  Gale,  and  he  now  ranked  the  safety  and  happiness 
of  his  friend  far  before  any  national  consideration. 

How  weak  is  the  feeling  of  patriotism  among  the 
Afghans  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  most  of  the  British 
frontier  troops  consist  of  Afghan  hillmen,  who  are 
always  ready,  when  called  upon,  to  fight  desperately 
against  their  countrymen  and  co-religionists.  Examples 
of  treachery,  such  as  that  exhibited  by  the  two 
Pathans  who  fired  their  guns  to  warn  their  country- 
men of  the  British  advance  up  the  Spingwai  Pass,  are 
almost  unknown. 


WILL  REJOINS   THE  TROOPS.  233 

It  was  then  with  a  feeling  of  joy  that  Yossouf  related 
to  his  English  friends  the  news  of  the  defeat  of  the 
Afghan  army.  Throughout  the  Hindoo  quarter  there 
was  deep  but  suppressed  gladness  at  the  news  of  the 
British  victory,  and  this  increased  when,  as  the  night 
went  on,  it  was  known  that  the  Afghan  army  was 
totally  dispersed,  that  the  troops  remaining  in  Cabul 
had  fled,  and  that  the  city  was  virtually  open  for  the 
entrance  of  the  English. 

When,  on  the  12th,  with  bands  playing  and  colours 
displayed,  the  British  troops  marched  through  Cabul, 
Will  would  fain  have  gone  out  and  joined  his  coun- 
trymen. But  the  Parsee  pointed  out  to  him  that 
this  would  draw  the  attention  of  the  Afghans  to  the 
fact  that  he  had  been  concealed  by  him,  and  that  in 
case  at  any  time  the  British  should  evacuate  Cabul 
and  return  to  India  he  would  be  a  marked  man  for 
the  vengeance  of  the  Afghans.  Will,  therefore,  wrapped 
up  in  a  long  cloak  and  accompanied  by  Yossouf  and 
the  Parsee,  left  the  house  after  dark,  and  proceeding  to 
the  gate  walked  out  to  the  Bala-Hissar. 

Explaining  who  he  was  Will  was  soon  passed  through 
the  sentries  which  had  been  set  at  nightfall,  and  was 
conducted  to  the  quarters  of  the  general.  The  latter 
was  greatly  surprised  when  he  was  told  that  an  Eng- 
lish soldier  who  had  been  present  at  the  attack  upon 
the  mission  wished  to  speak  to  him,  and  at  once 
ordered  Will  to  be  brought  before  him.  Great  was  his 
surprise  when  he  learned  from  the  young  soldier  that 


2 Si  SURPRISE  OF  THE  GENERAL. 

he  had  fought  under  him  at  the  taking  of  Peiwar- 
Khotal,  and  having  been  made  prisoner  near  Ali-Kheyl 
had  been  brought  to  Cabul,  and  had  joined  the  party  of 
Sir  Lewis  Cavagnari  on  its  arrival  at  that  city.  Still 
more  that,  having  been  in  the  residency  when  the 
attack  upon  it  was  commenced  by  the  Heratee  soldiery, 
he  had  managed  to  escape  from  the  massacre  of  that 
night. 

After  having  first  heard  a  complete  outline  of  Will's 
story  the  general  called  in  several  of  his  staff,  who 
had  just  finished  dinner,  and  then  requested  Will  to 
give  a  full  and  detailed  description  of  his  adventures. 
After  he  had  concluded,  Yossouf  and  the  Parsee  were 
called  in,  and  the  general  warmly  expressed  his  grati- 
fication at  the  kindness  that  they  had  shown  to  a 
wounded  English  soldier  at  the  risk  of  their  lives. 

He  ordered  that  a  handsome  present  should  be  made 
to  Yossouf,  and  told  the  Parsee  to  call  again  in  the 
morning,  when  the  quartermaster-general  would  be 
told  to  arrange  with  him  for  the  supply  of  such  articles 
as  the  country  afforded  for  the  use  of  the  troops. 

"  Your  regiment,"  he  said  to  Will,  "  is  at  present  at 
Jellalabad;  whether  it  will  come  up  here  I  do  not  yet 
know,  but  in  the  meantime  you  will  be  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  sergeant,  which  is  the  least  we  can  do  after 
what  you  have  gone  through,  and  you  will  take  your 
place  with  my  staff  orderly  sergeants." 

He  then  sent  for  one  of  the  sergeants  and  gave  Will 
into  his  charge,  telling  him  he  would  speak  further 


YOSSOUF   FOLLOWS   WILL.  235 

with  him  when  he  had  arranged  the  pressing  business 
which  the  occupation  of  Cabul  entailed  upon  him. 

Yossouf  remained  with  Will,  being  at  his  urgent 
request  placed  upon  the  roll  as  a  native  follower,  of 
whom  a  considerable  number  accompany  each  regiment 
in  India.  His  duties  were  but  nominal,  for  when  Will's 
story  was  well  known  Yossouf  became  a  most  popular 
character  among  the  sergeants  of  the  staff.  The  money 
which  he  had  received,  in  the  first  place  from  the 
Ameer  and  now  from  General  Roberts,  would  secure  his 
future.  In  Afghanistan  animals  are  cheap,  and  the 
owner  of  a  small  herd  of  oxen,  sheep,  or  even  goats,  is 
regarded  by  his  neighbours  as  a  wealthy  man.  There- 
fore Yossouf  would,  on  the  departure  of  the  British,  be 
able  to  settle  down  in  a  position  of  comparative  affluence. 

Two  days  later  General  Roberts  being  one  evening 
diseno^ao-ed  sent  for  William  Gale.  He  had  been  much 
struck  with  the  bearing  and  manner  of  the  young 
soldier,  and  now  requested  him  to  give  him  a  full 
history  of  his  antecedents. 

"  You  have  had  a  curious  and  eventful  history,"  he 
said  when  the  young  sergeant  had  finished,  "  and 
appear  to  have  conducted  yourself  with  great  discre- 
tion, readiness,  and  courage.  From  what  you  tell  me 
of  your  conversation  with  Colonel  Shepherd  I  have  no 
doubt  that  he  formed  the  same  impression  that  I  do 
from  your  manner  and  appearance,  that  you  are  of  a 
respectable  if  not  of  good  family,  and  I  trust  that  you 
will  some  day  discover  a   clue  to  your  parents.     It 


236  A   COMMISSION   PROMISED. 

seems  to  me  that  had  the  authorities  of  the  place 
where  you  were  left  properly  bestirred  themselves 
they  ought  to  have  been  able  to  find  out  who  you  are. 
However,  that  is  not  to  the  point  now.  It  is  sufficient 
for  me  that  from  your  manner  and  address  you  would 
not  be  out  of  place  in  any  position.  I  shall,  of  course, 
report  the  fact  of  your  having  fought  by  Major  Cava- 
gnari's  side  in  the  attack  upon  him  here,  and  shall 
strongly  recommend  that  a  commission  be  granted  you. 
I  am  sure  that  from  your  conduct  hitherto  you  will 
never  do  discredit  to  any  position  in  which  you  may 
find  yourself.  Say  nothing  to  your  fellow  sergeants 
of  what  I  have  told  you.  It  is  possible,  although 
not  probable,  that  my  recommendation  may  not  be 
acted  upon,  and  at  anyrate  some  months  must  elapse 
before  an  answer  can  be  received." 

William  Gale  returned  to  his  quarters  in  a  state  of 
extreme  delight.  The  communication  which  General 
Roberts  had  made  to  him  was  altogether  beyond  his 
hopes.  He  had  indeed  from  the  very  day  that  he 
enlisted  often  hoped  that  some  time  or  other  he  might 
win  for  himself  a  commission,  and  take  his  place  in  the 
rank  to  which  he  had  from  his  childhood  believed  that 
he  was  by  birth  entitled.  The  words  and  manner  of 
his  colonel  had  encouraged  this  hope,  but  he  had  never 
dreamed  that  his  promotion  might  be  attained  so  soon. 
It  was  but  a  year  since  he  had  enlisted,  and  five  was 
the  very  earliest  at  which  he  had  even  dreamed  that 
a  commission  might  possibly  be  gained. 


ONE    OF    THE    GUNPOWDER    MAGAZINES    HAD    EXPLODED." 


A  TERRIBLE   EXPLOSION.  237 

The  next  day  he  had  been  sent  from  the  orderly- 
room  with  a  note  to  the  colonel  of  the  67th,  which  was 
the  regiment  now  in  quarters  in  the  Bala-Hissar,  the 
rest  of  the  force  being  encamped  in  the  plain  below. 
As  he  was  walking  across  the  open  he  was  suddenly 
hurled  to  the  ground  with  tremendous  violence,  and  at 
the  same  moment  a  roar  as  loud  as  that  of  thunder 
sounded  in  his  ears.  Bewildered  and  half  stunned  he 
rose  to  his  feet,  while  showers  of  stones,  beams,  and 
other  debris  fell  around  him. 

One  of  the  gunpowder  magazines  had  exploded.  It 
had  been  known  that  very  large  quantities  of  powder 
were  stored  in  various  buildings  at  the  Bala-Hissar, 
and  at  the  moment  of  the  explosion  a  body  of  engineers 
under  Captain  Shafto  were  examining  the  buildings 
in  which  it  was  stored,  and  making  preparation  for 
the  removal  of  the  powder.  Singularly  enough  no 
soldiers  of  the  67th  were  killed,  but  of  the  Ghoorkas 
who  were  on  guard  at  the  arsenal  at  the  time  twelve 
were  killed  and  seven  wounded.  Shafto  was  unfor- 
tunately killed.  The  67th  were  at  once  called  out 
and  set  to  work  to  extinguish  the  flames  which  had 
been  kindled  by  the  explosion,  great  damage  being 
done.  The  southern  wall  of  the  arsenal  had  been 
blown  down  and  several  buildings  set  on  fire.  Ex- 
plosion followed  explosion,  and  the  work  of  extin- 
guishing the  flames  was  an  extremely  dangerous  one. 
In  the  afternoon  another  magazine  blew  up;  fortunately 
no  troops  were  in  its  neio^hbourhood  at  the  time,  but 


238  A   BELEAGUERED    GARRISON. 

four  Af o-lians  were  killed  and  several  soldiers  hurt  at  a 

o 

distance  of  three  or  four  hundred  yards  from  the  spot. 

Although  it  was  never  proved,  it  was  strongly  be- 
lieved that  these  explosions  were  caused  by  the  Afghans, 
and  as  large  quantities  of  powder  still  remained  in  the 
Bala-Hissar  it  was  determined  that  for  the  present  the 
place  should  be  evacuated.  The  general  therefore 
with  his  staff  and  the  reo-iment  in  o-arrison  left  the 
place  and  joined  the  camp  in  the  plain. 

The  little  force  at  Cabul  was  now  isolated.  Troops 
were  slowly  coming  up  the  Khyber  Pass  to  Jellalabad, 
where  a  division  was  to  be  formed,  destined  in  the 
spring  to  join  the  force  at  Cabul  should  it  be  necessary 
to  carry  on  further  operations. 

Between  Cabul  and  the  Shatur-Gardan  the  natives 
were  in  a  restless  and  excited  state.  Two  attacks  by 
SOOO  men  had  been  made  on  the  garrison  holding  the 
crest  of  the  latter  position,  300  in  number.  These 
bravely  sallied  out,  attacked  the  enemy  in  the  open, 
and  killed  large  numbers  of  them.  Still  great  num- 
bers of  the  tribesmen  were  gathered  round,  and  General 
Gough  with  the  5th  Punjaubee  Cavalry,  the  5th  Pun- 
jaubee  Infantry,  and  four  guns,  was  therefore  sent  from 
Cabul  to  bring  down  from  the  Shatur-Gardan  the  gar- 
rison and  all  the  stores  accumulated  there.  The  pass, 
which  would  shortly  be  closed  by  snow,  was  then  to  be 
deserted. 

Several  executions  now  took  place  at  Cabul  of  men 
who  were  proved  to  have  shared  in  the  attack  on  the 


ABDICATION    OF   THE   AMEER.  239 

embassy.  Some  of  the  leading  men  of  the  place,  who 
had  instigated  the  troops  to  the  attack,  were  among 
those  executed.  Many  of  the  villagers  were  also  hung  for 
shooting  at  detached  bodies  of  our  troops.  A  proclama- 
tion had  been  issued  by  the  general  on  his  first  arrival, 
warning  the  people  that  any  attempt  against  our 
authority  would  be  severely  punished,  forbidding  the 
carrying  of  w^eapons  within  the  streets  of  Cabul  or 
within  a  distance  of  five  miles  of  the  city  gates, 
and  ofierino^  a  reward  for  all  arms  belono-inoj  to  the 
Afghan  troops,  which  should  be  given  up,  and  for  the 
surrender  of  any  person,  w^hether  soldier  or  civilian, 
concerned  in  the  attack  on  the  embassy. 

The  position  of  the  British  force  at  Cabul  was  that 
of  a  body  holding  only  the  ground  they  occupied  in 
the  midst  of  a  bitterly  hostile  country. 

The  Ameer  was  powerless,  and  indeed  his  good-will 
was  more  than  doubtful.  He  had  from  his  arrival  in 
the  camp  been  regarded  as  a  prisoner,  although  treated 
with  courtesy;  and  after  the  battle  of  Charasia,  feeling 
his  own  impotence,  and  being  viewed  with  hostility  by 
both  parties,  he  resigned  his  position  as  Ameer,  and 
asked  to  be  sent  to  India,  which  was  done.  The 
abdication  of  the  Ameer  really  took  place  on  the  day 
the  troops  entered  Cabul,  but  it  was  not  publicly 
known  until  the  end  of  the  month,  as  nothing  could 
be  done  on  the  subject  until  his  desire  was  communi- 
cated to  the  Indian  authorities  and  their  views  concer- 
ning it  ascertained. 


240  THE  SHERPUR  BARRACKS. 

From  the  moment  of  his  arrival  at  Cabul  General 
Roberts  had  set  to  work  to  prepare  for  the  winter. 
He  would  for  four  or  five  months  be  entirely  cut  ofi", 
and  would  have  to  rely  upon  himself  alone.  He  had 
before  him  the  terrible  catastrophe  which  had  on  the 
same  ground  befallen  General  Elphinstone's  army,  and 
knew  that  it  was  possible,  and  indeed  probable,  that, 
with  the  memory  of  that  success  before  them,  the 
Afghans  would  unite  in  another  great  effort  to  anni- 
hilate the  little  force  shut  up  in  the  heart  of  their 
country. 

Fortunately  he  had  in  the  Ameer's  barracks  at 
Sherpur  a  position  which  he  was  confident  he  could 
hold  against  any  attacks  that  could  be  made  upon  him. 
These  extensive  barracks  had  been  erected  by  Sheer- 
Ali  for  the  use  of  his  cavalry,  but  had  never  been  used. 
They  consisted  of  a  large  square,  three  sides  of  which 
were  surrounded  by  a  lofty  wall,  an  isolated  and  rocky 
steep  hill  rising  at  the  back  and  closing  the  fourth 
side.  The  buildings  were  amply  large  enough  to  con- 
tain the  whole  of  General  Roberts'  force,  and  there 
was  abundant  room  for  the  stores,  basfo-agfe  animals, 
and  waggons;  the  only  fault  was,  indeed,  that  the 
extent  of  wall  to  be  defended  was  too  long  for  the 
force  at  his  disposal.  Round  two  sides  the  outer  wall 
was  complete,  but  on  the  third  it  had  not  been  taken 
to  its  full  height,  nor  had  it  been  continued  so  as  to 
join  the  hill  behind  it. 

Great  efforts  were  made  to  bring  in  sufiicient  provi- 


PREPARING  FOR  WINTER.  241 

sions  and  forage  for  the  winter,  and  expeditions  were 
made  up  the  Logan,  Maidan,  and  other  valleys  for  the 
purpose.  Winter  was  fast  setting  in.  Snow  had  begun 
to  fall  upon  the  hills,  and  ice  formed  on  the  pools 
every  night.  The  natives  of  the  valleys  near  were 
ready  enough  to  sell  their  grain,  straw,  and  fuel,  but 
few  supplies  came  in  from  a  distance,  as  armed  bands 
stopped  all  supplies  on  their  way.  However,  a  suffi- 
cient amount  of  food  and  fuel  was  obtained  and  stored 
in  Sherpur.  Grain,  too,  was  procured  for  the  winter, 
and  the  only  article  of  which  the  supply  was  insuffi- 
cient was  chopped  straw,  of  which  a  very  large  quantity 
was  required. 

The  attitude  of  the  natives  grew  daily  more  hostile. 
Their  priests  were  preaching  a  revolt  to  the  death,  and 
recalling  to  the  people  how  their  fathers  had  annihi- 
lated a  British  force  thirty  years  before.  Urged  alike 
by  fanaticism  and  a  desire  for  plunder,  the  natives 
over  the  whole  country  were  seething  with  excitement, 
and  General  Roberts  saw  that  a  crisis  was  approaching. 

The  Afghans  could  assemble  at  least  100,000  men, 
and  among  these  would  be  included  all  the  troops  of 
the  Ameer's  disbanded  armies,  armed  with  weapons 
equal  to  our  own,  and  burning  to  revenge  the  defeats 
which  had  been  inflicted  upon  them.  To  oppose  them 
the  English  general  had  less  than  6000  men.  But 
though  prepared  for  trouble,  the  storm,  when  it  came, 
burst  suddenly  upon  the  English.  The  enemy  were 
known  to  be  collecting  in  great  numbers  in  the  Maidan 

(274)  Q 


242  THE   AFGHAN    OUTBREAK. 

valley,  and  two  columns  were  sent  out  to  attack  them. 
One  was  commanded  by  Macplierson,  the  other  by 
Baker.  Although  they  were  to  strike  simultaneously 
at  the  enemy  their  route  of  march  lay  up  different 
valleys,  with  a  lofty  mountain  range  between  them,  so 
they  could  in  no  way  co-operate  with  each  other.  After 
they  had  started.  General  Massy  was  directed  to  move 
out  with  a  small  force  of  cavalry  and  a  battery  of  horse 
artillery,  and  co-operate  with  General  Macpherson. 

An  hour  after  the  cavalry  had  started  General 
Roberts  himself  rode  out.  He  was  accompanied  by  his 
usual  escort,  and  by  two  mounted  orderly  sergeants. 
One  of  these  was  William  Gale.  They  had  only  pro- 
ceeded a  short  distance  when  they  heard  some  distance 
ahead  of  them  the  guns  of  the  Royal  Horse  Artillery 
with  Massy  at  work,  and  the  general  at  once  rode 
forward  at  a  gallop. 

General  Macpherson  had  found  Mahomed  Jan,  one 
of  the  principal  leaders  of  the  Afghans,  with  10,000 
men  near  Chard  eh, 

A  fight  ensued.  The  guns  shelled  the  enemy,  but 
the  water-courses  prevented  the  cavalry  with  Mac- 
pherson acting,  and  Mahomed  Jan,  moving  across  the 
hills,  placed  himself  between  Macpherson  and  Cabul. 
Shortly  afterwards  General  Massy,  who  had  with  him 
three  troops  of  the  9th  Lancers  and  forty-four  men  of 
the  14th  Bengal  Lancers,  with  four  guns  under  Major 
Smith- Wyndham,  came  in  sight  of  a  portion  of  Ma- 
homed Jan's  force. 


GENERAL   MASSY'S    ACTION.  243 

It  was  clear  that  these  had  in  some  way  interposed 
themselves  between  the  little  force  and  Macpherson's 
column,  and  Massy  supposed  that  they  w^ere  a  party 
of  fugitives  flying  before  the  force  of  Macpherson  or 
Baker.  As  they  came  streaming  down  the  hill  he  got 
his  guns  into  action.  After  a  few  shells  had  been 
fired,  the  enemy  advanced  in  full  force.  Four  thousand 
men  were  extended  in  the  shape  of  a  crescent,  advanc- 
ing in  fairly  good  order,  while  behind  was  an  irregular 
mob  of  some  six  thousand  men. 

The  ground  upon  which  General  Massy  found  him- 
self at  this  time  was  singularly  unfitted  for  the  action 
of  artillerj^  It  was  cut  up  by  deep  water-courses,  and 
anything  like  rapidity  of  movement  was  impossible. 
It  would  have  been  prudent  had  Massy,  when  he  saw 
how  large  was  the  force  opposed  to  him,  at  once 
retired  until  he  came  to  ground  where  his  guns  could 
be  rapidly  manoeuvred;  but  relying  upon  the  efiect  of 
the  shell,  he  remained  in  the  position  in  w^hich  he  had 
first  discovered  the  enemy.  The  shell  pitched  rapidly 
into  the  thick  of  the  Afghans,  but  no  effect  was  pro- 
duced in  checking  their  advance.  They  did  not 
waver  for  a  moment,  but  came  steadily  on.  The 
enemy's  bullets  were  now  dropping  fast  among  the 
cavalry  and  guns.  Thirty  of  the  9th  Lancers  were 
dismounted  and  opened  fire  with  their  Martini  carbines, 
but  the  enemy  were  too  numerous  to  be  checked  by  so 
small  a  body  of  men. 

At  this  moment  Sir  Frederick  Roberts  arrived  upon 


244  A    SPLENDID   CHARGE. 

the  spot.  The  position  was  serious,  and  to  retire  the 
guns  in  safety  it  was  absokitely  necessary  to  check  the 
advance  of  the  enemy.  General  Roberts  therefore 
ordered  Massy  to  send  his  cavalry  at  the  enemy. 
Colonel  Cleland  led  a  squadron  of  the  9th  full  at 
the  advancing  mass,  the  Bengal  Lancers  following, 
while  Captain  Gough  with  his  troop  of  the  9th  charged 
the  enemy's  left  flank;  but  even  the  charge  of  Bala- 
clava was  scarcely  more  desperate  than  this.  Two 
hundred  and  twenty  men,  however  gallant,  could  not 
be  expected  to  conquer  10,000.  The  three  bodies  of 
cavalry  charged  at  full  speed  into  the  midst  of  the 
enemy's  infantry,  who  received  them  with  a  terrible 
fire  which  killed  many  horses  and  men.  The  impetus 
of  the  charge  bore  down  the  leading  ranks  of  the 
Afghans,  and  the  cavalry  tore  their  way  through  the 
mass  until  their  progTess  was  blocked  by  sheer  weight 
of  numbers. 

A  desperate  mel^e  took  place,  the  troopers  fighting 
with  their  sabres,  the  Afghans  with  knives  and  clubbed 
muskets.  Many  of  the  soldiers  were  struck  from  their 
horses,  some  were  dragged  to  their  feet  again  by  their 
comrades,  others  were  killed  upon  the  ground.  The 
chaplain  of  the  force,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Adams,  had  ac- 
companied the  troopers  in  the  charge,  and  seeing  a 
man  jammed  under  a  fallen  horse  he  leaped  from  his 
saddle  and  extricated  him,  and  brought  him  off"  in 
spite  of  the  attack  of  several  Afghans.  For  this  act  of 
bravery  he  received  the  Victoria  Cross,  being  the  first 


THE   GUNS   ABANDONED.  245 

chaplain  in  the  army  who  had  ever  obtained  that  de- 
coration. 

When  the  dust  raised  by  the  charging  squadrons 
had  subsided  it  was  seen  that  the  enemy  were  still  ad- 
vancing. The  Lancers  had  fallen  back,  and  as  the  men 
galloped  in  they  rallied  behind  Captain  Gough's  troop, 
which  had  kept  best  together,  and  had  formed  up 
again  between  the  guns  and  the  enemy.  Lieutenants 
Hersee  and  Ricardo  and  sixteen  of  their  men  had  been 
left  dead  upon  the  ground.  Colonel  Cleland,  Lieu- 
tenant Mackenzie,  and  seven  of  the  troopers  were 
wounded. 

A  second  charge  was  ordered,  but  this  time  it  was 
not  pushed  home,  as  a  wide  water-course  checked  the 
advance.  Under  cover  of  the  first  cavalry  charge 
Major  Smith- Wyndham  had  ordered  two  of  the  guns 
to  be  taken  off,  and  as  he  now  fell  back  with  the  other 
two  one  of  them  stuck  in  the  water-course.  The 
greatest  efforts  were  made  with  the  horses  which  still 
remained  uninjured  to  get  the  gun  out,  but  the  enemy 
were  pressing  close  on.  Lieutenant  Hardy  was  killed 
by  a  shot  through  the  head,  and  the  gun  was  aban- 
doned. The  other  three  guns  were  retired  400  or  500 
yards  farther,  but  here  they  became  hopelessly  bogged 
in  a  channel  deeper  than  any  that  had  hitherto  been 
met  with.  They  were  spiked  and  left  in  the  water, 
and  the  drivers  and  gunners  moved  off  with  the 
cavalry  just  as  the  enemy  poured  down  upon  them. 

Seeing  the  danger  of  the  situation  and   the  large 


246  A    CALL   FOR   AID. 

force  of  the  enemy,  General  Roberts  had,  on  his  first 
arrival,  sent  off  a  trooper  at  full  gallop  to  General 
Gough,  who  commanded  at  Sherpur,  ordering  him  to 
send  out  two  hundred  men  of  the  7'2d  Highlanders  at 
the  double  to  hold  the  gorge  leading  direct  from  the 
scene  of  conflict  to  Cabul.  There  was  but  a  very  small 
garrison  of  British  troops  in  the  city,  and  had  the  enemy 
made  their  way  there  the  townspeople  would  have  risen 
and  a  serious  disaster  taken  place.  After  leaving  the 
guns  behind  them  the  cavalry  retired  steadily  towards 
the  village  at  the  head  of  the  gorge,  keeping  up  a  hot 
fire  with  their  carbines  on  the  enemy  who  pressed 
upon  them. 

"  Ride  back,  Sergeant  Gale,"  the  general  said,  "  and 
meet  the  72d.  Hurry  them  up  at  full  speed — every 
minute  is  precious." 

William  Gale  rode  back  at  full  speed.  Until  a  fort- 
night before  he  had  never  been  on  a  horse,  but  the 
animal  which  he  rode  was  well  trained  and  steady, 
and  hitherto  he  had  had  no  difficulty  in  keeping  his 
seat  as  he  trotted  along  with  the  escort.  It  was  a 
different  thing  now,  for  the  ground  was  rough  and  the 
horse  going  at  a  full  gallop,  and  he  clung  on  to  the 
pummel  of  the  saddle  to  steady  himself.  As  he  passed 
through  the  village  he  saw  the  Highlanders  coming 
along  at  a  trot  half  a  mile  further  on,  and  was  soon 
beside  Colonel  Brownlow,  who  commanded  them. 

"  The  enemy  are  pressing  the  cavalry  back,  sir,"  he 
said  as  with  difficulty  he  pulled  up  his  horse.     "  The 


JUST   IN   TIME.  247 

general  desires  you  to  use  the  greatest  possible  speed, 
as  every  moment  is  precious." 

Panting  and  out  of  breath  as  the  Highlanders  were 
they  responded  to  Colonel  Brownlow's  shout,  and  rush- 
ing forward  almost  at  racing  speed  reached  the  village 
while  the  Afghans  were  still  100  yards  beyond  it. 
They  instantly  opened  such  a  fire  upon  the  enemy  that 
the  latter  ceased  their  advance  and  soon  fell  back,  and 
Cabul  was  for  the  moment  safe. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


THE   FIGHT   IN   THE   PASS. 


HE  Afo'han  force,  after  half  an  hour's  effort 
to  carry  the  village  held  by  the  High- 
landers, moved  off  to  their  left,  and  work- 
ing along  the  hills  took  post  on  the  heights  beyond 
Bala-Hissar.  In  the  meantime  General  Macpherson, 
having  dispersed  a  strong  body  of  the  enemy  up  the 
valley,  marched  back  towards  Cabul,  and  coming 
across  the  scene  of  the  late  action  brought  in  the 
bodies  of  the  dead  officers.  The  guns  had  already  been 
carried  off,  for  as  the  enemy  advanced  Colonel  Mac- 
gregor,  collecting  a  handful  of  lancers  and  artillery- 
men, worked  round  to  their  rear,  and,  dispersing  a  small 
body  of  the  enemy  who  had  lingered  at  a  village  near 
the  guns,  succeeded  in  extricating  the  cannon  from  the 
swamp  and  carried  them  off  to  Sherpur. 

From  the  signal-post  established  above  Bala-Hissar 
an  order  was  flashed  to  General  Baker,  who  was  many 
miles  away,  to  inform  him  of  what  had  occurred,  and 
to  order  him  to  march  back  with  all  speed.  Late  that 
evening  he  arrived  with  his  column,  and  the  British 


STORMING  THE   HEIGHT.  249 

force  was  again  united.  The  next  day  560  men  of 
Macpherson's  brigade,  composed  of  portions  of  the 
67th,  the  72d,  the  Sd  Sikhs,  and  5th  Ghoorkas,  were 
sent  out  to  attack  the  enemy,  wlio  had  established 
themselves  upon  a  lofty  peak  south  of  Cabul. 

The  Afghans  occupied  the  crest  in  strength,  and  hidden 
behind  the  hill  had  5000  or  6000  men  lying  in  wait  to 
attack  the  assailing  party  in  the  rear  as  they  pressed 
upwards.  The  position  was,  however,  too  strong  to  be 
carried.  After  several  hours  of  fighting  the  little  British 
force  had  driven  the  Afghans  from  the  lower  part  of 
the  hill,  but  were  unable  to  mount  towards  the  crest, 
for  ammunition  was  running  short,  and  the  enemy  were 
too  strongly  posted.  General  Roberts  therefore  ordered 
Macpherson  to  hold  the  ground  which  he  had  gained 
until  next  morning,  when  more  troops  would  be  sent. 
At  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  accordingly,  General 
Baker  moved  out  from  Sherpur  with  a  strong  force  and 
attacked  the  enemy's  position  in  flank,  while  Macpher- 
son continued  his  advance  in  front.  The  Afghans 
fought  desperately,  and  clung  to  their  position  until 
the  British  were  close  up,  when  a  desperate  hand-to- 
hand  struggle  took  place,  and  the  British  became  mas- 
ters of  the  position. 

While  the  fighting  had  been  going  on  great  masses 
of  the  enemy  had  come  down  from  the  end  of  the 
valley  and  threatened  the  road  between  Sherpur  and 
Cabul.  The  9th  Lancers  made  a  magnificent  charge 
among    them,    broke    them,   and    drove    them    back. 


250  THE   ENEMY    REINFORCED. 

Several  other  brilliant  charges  were  made,  and  the 
plain  was  kept  clear  of  the  enemy.  Captain  Butson, 
however,  who  commanded,  was  killed,  and  two  other 
officers  wounded.  With  each  hour  that  passed  the 
position  grew  more  serious,  as  immense  bodies  of  the 
enemy  were  seen  advancing  from  all  sides.  The  city 
was  now  in  open  revolt,  and  the  small  garrison  there 
with  difficulty  held  their  own.  One  more  effort  was 
made  to  drive  the  enemy  off  the  hills. 

Early  on  the  15th  General  Baker,  with  1200  infantry 
and  eight  guns,  left  the  cantonment.  After  very  severe 
fighting  the  enemy  were  driven  from  their  lowest  posi- 
tions, but  as  Baker  advanced  a  body  of  from  1 5,000  to 
20,000  of  the  enemy  marched  out  across  the  plain 
towards  the  position  just  captured.  Steadily  they  ad- 
vanced, and  the  shells  which  our  mountain  guns  sent 
among  them,  and  the  volleys  poured  down  from  the 
face  of  the  hill,  did  not  suffice  to  check  them  in  the 
slightest.  Reassured  by  their  own  enormous  numbers, 
and  feeling  that  success  was  in  their  grasp,  they  pressed 
forward  and  desperate  fighting  took  place. 

A  position  held  by  the  5th  Punjaub  Infantry  was 
carried  by  their  attack  and  two  guns  were  lost,  but 
the  rest  of  the  positions  were  maintained.  Seeing  that 
it  was  impossible  to  hold  the  Bala-Hissar  and  Cabul 
in  the  face  of  the  hordes  opposed  to  him,  which 
were  estimated  by  the  general  himself  as  numbering 
80,000  men,  but  wdiich  the  Afghans  themselves  after- 
wards acknowledged  were  between  100,000  and  1 20,000, 


SAFE    IN    THE   CANTONMENTS.  251 

General  Roberts  determined  to  concentrate  his  troops 
at  Sherpur.  Eaker  was  ordered  to  maintain  the  posi- 
tion he  held  at  all  costs  until  the  troops  from  the  Bala- 
Hissar  were  withdrawn.  This  he  did;  and  although 
as  he  fell  back  the  Afghan  hordes  swarmed  round  him, 
he  fought  his  way  back  to  Sherpnr,  and  by  nightfall  all 
the  British  force  were  safely  gathered  in  the  canton- 
ments there. 

Two  days  previously  General  Roberts  had  tele- 
graphed for  the  regiments  most  advanced  in  the  passes 
below  to  come  forward;  they  arrived  on  the  morning 
of  the  16th,  and  the  general  had  no  longer  any  anxiety 
as  to  his  ability  to  hold  the  cantonments  for  months, 
if  necessary,  against  the  attacks  of  the  Afghans.  Had 
these  attacked  on  the  morning  following  what  was  vir- 
tually a  victory,  whilst  still  flushed  with  triumph  and 
excitement,  it  would  have  needed  all  the  efforts  of  the 
English  to  hold  their  position  against  so  formidable 
an  attack.  The  Afghans,  however,  contented  them- 
selves with  occupying  several  walled  villages  near 
the  cantonment  and  keeping  up  an  incessant  fire 
upon  it. 

Meanwhile  their  main  body  indulged  in  wild  excesses 
in  Cabul,  sacking  the  Hindoo  quarter  and  plundering 
all  the  shops  without  much  distinction  of  nationality. 
Thus  three  days  elapsed,  the  British  making  the  most 
of  the  time  afforded  them  by  strengthening  the  weak 
points  of  their  defences.  Lines  of  waggons  were  placed 
in  the  gap  between  the  unfinished  wall  and  the  foot 


252  THE  AFGHAN   ASSAULT. 

o£  the  hill.  Wires  were  stretched  in  all  directions  and 
chevaux-de-frise  erected  beyond. 

On  the  18th  the  enemy  came  down  in  force,  and  for 
some  hours  a  tremendous  musketry  fire  was  kept  up 
at  the  position;  but  the  fire  of  the  musketry  and 
guns  from  the  walls  was  so  hot  that  they  did  not 
venture  upon  an  attack.  The  following  day  General 
Baker  sallied  out  and  attacked  a  fortified  post  a  few 
hundred  yards  from  the  wall.  From  this  place  the 
enemy  had  greatly  annoyed  the  garrison.  After  some 
severe  fighting  the  Afghans  were  driven  out  and  the 
place  blown  up. 

On  the  evening  of  the  22d  the  general  received  news 
that  the  Afghans,  having  prepared  a  great  number  of 
ladders  for  the  assault,  intended  to  attack  that  night. 
There  had  been  several  similar  warnings,  but  this  time 
the  news  proved  correct.  A  signal  fire  was  lit  upon 
one  of  the  heio'hts  at  four  in  the  morninof,  and  at  five 
o'clock  the  plain  was  covered  with  the  enemy.  Quietly 
they  crept  up  in  the  darkness  towards  the  walls,  and 
at  six  o'clock  a  prodigious  shouting  was  heard,  and 
from  the  villages,  orchards,  and  inclosed  ground  upon 
all  sides  the  enemy  dashed  forward  to  the  as- 
sault. 

As  they  approached  they  opened  fire  on  all  sides, 
pressing  chiefly  towards  the  weak  point  near  the  foot 
of  the  hills.  But  tremendous  as  was  the  roar  of  the 
Afghan  fire  it  was  drowned  by  the  roll  of  musketry 
which  broke  from  the  whole  circuit  of  the  walls  where 


REPULSE  OF  THE  ATTACK.  253 

the  British  troops,  rifle  in  hand,  had  been  lying  for 
three  hours  waiting  the  attack. 

So  terrible  was  the  storm  of  lead  that  swept  the 
plain  that  the  Afghans  paused  in  their  advance.  For 
two  hours  they  remained  around  the  walls,  yelling, 
shouting,  and  firing  heavily;  but  all  the  efforts  of  their 
leaders  could  not  induce  them  to  rise  from  the  ground 
and  hazard  a  charge.  Many  dropped  within  eighty  or 
ninety  yards  of  the  wall,  but  beyond  that  the  bravest 
dared  not  advance. 

When  mornino'  broke,  the  welcome  news  was  brouo-ht 
down  from  the  outlook  on  the  top  of  the  hill  that 
far  across  the  plain  could  be  seen  the  tents  of  the 
force  of  General  Gough,  who  was  coming  up  through 
the  passes  to  the  relief  of  the  garrison.  The  news  had 
reached  the  assailants  also.  Considerable  bodies  of  the 
enemy  were  observed  moving  out  from  Cabul,  as  if 
with  the  intention  of  attacking  the  relieving  force. 
The  assailants  of  the  British  position,  finding  their 
inability  to  produce  the  smallest  impression,  were  now 
beoinninoj  to  waver,  and  General  Gouo-h  ordered  the 
cavalry  and  horse  artillery  to  go  out  by  the  road  which 
led  through  a  gorge  in  a  hill  behind,  and  to  sweep 
round  and  take  them  in  the  rear.  This  they  did  with 
immense  success.  At  the  moment  that  they  fell  upon 
the  enemy  the  British  infantry  sallied  out  from  the 
cantonment  and  attacked  them  in  front.  A  panic 
seized  the  Afghans;  in  a  few  mintites  the  whole  plain 
was  covered  with  flying  fugitives,  among  wJiom  our 


264  DISPERSAL   OF   THE   TRIBES. 

cavalry  swept  backward  and  forward,  cutting  them  up 
in  all  directions,  while  the  fire  of  our  infantry  and  of 
the  guns  on  the  walls  searched  them  through  and 
through  whenever  they  attempted  to  gather  in  a  knot 
and  make  a  stand. 

By  nightfall  the  whole  of  the  Afghans  had  either 
fled  to  the  hills  or  were  driven  into  Cabul.  Upon  the 
following  day  General  Gough's  force  marched  in;  but 
before  their  arrival  it  was  found  that  the  enemy  had 
again  evacuated  the  city,  and  the  British  were,  as 
before,  masters  of  the  position. 

After  the  decisive  defeat  which  had  been  inflicted 
upon  them,  and  the  dispersion  of  the  great  force  which 
had  gathered  confident  of  victory,  there  was  little  fear 
of  any  further  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  enemy.  They 
had  brought  their  whole  force  into  the  field,  and  as 
this  was  defeated  and  dispersed  before  the  arrival  of 
General  Gough  with  his  reinforcements  it  was  evident 
that  success  could  not  be  hoped  for  against  the  united 
strength  of  the  English. 

The  time  passed  quietly  now.  The  Bala-Hissar  and 
Cabul  were  reoccupied,  and  as  the  natives  were  cowed 
by  the  crushing  defeat  they  had  experienced,  there 
was  no  longer  any  repetition  of  the  insolent  and  defiant 
manner  which  they  had  before  manifested. 

On  the  Sd  of  January  a  message  was  brought  to 
the  orderly-room  that  the  general  wished  to  see  Ser- 
geant Gale.  Upon  his  presenting  himself  at  the 
general's  quarters  Sir  Frederick  Roberts,  to  his  sur- 


THE   COMMISSION. 


255 


prise,  at  once  advanced  and  shook  him  warmly  by  the 
hand. 

"Mr.  Gale,"  he  said,  "I  am  very  happy  to  inform  you 
that  the  Horse  Guards  have  acted  upon  my  recom- 
mendation, seconded  by  that  which  was  sent  in  by 
your  colonel,  who  wrote  at  once  upon  receiving  a  noti- 
fication from  me  of  the  step  I  had  taken,  saying  that 
you  had  distinguished  yourself  very  highly  in  the 
attack  upon  the  Peiwar-Khotal,  and  that  he  was  con- 
vinced that  you  would  make  in  all  respects  an  excellent 
officer.  With  my  despatches  that  have  just  come  in  I 
have  received  a  notification  that  my  request  has  been 
attended  to,  together  with  a  copy  of  the  Gazette,  in 
which  you  are  appointed  to  the  66th  Regiment.  I  have 
to  congratulate  you,  sir;  you  are  now  an  officer,  and 
will,  I  am  quite  sure,  do  every  credit  to  my  recom- 
mendation." 

The  young  soldier  was  for  a  moment  too  moved  at 
the  tidings  to  speak  coherently,  but  he  murmured  his 
thanks  to  the  general  for  his  kindness. 

"  Do  not  say  anything  about  that,"  the  general  said 
heartily;  "it  is  a  pleasure  to  me  to  have  been  able 
to  advance  a  promising  young  soldier.  I  am  only 
sorry  that  you  are  not  gazetted  to  a  regiment  in  my 
own  division.  The  66th  are  at  Candahar,  and  unfor- 
tunately they  will  not,  I  understand,  form  part  of  a 
column  with  which  General  Stuart  will  advance  in  the 
spring  up  the  valley  through  Ghuzni  to  this  place. 
Had  it  been  so  it  would  have  been  best  for  you  to  wait 


256  A   KIND   OFFER, 

their  arrival  here ;  but  as  it  is  you  had  better  go  down  the 
pass  to  India  and  work  round  and  join  your  regiment. 
It  is  a  long  road,  but  it  is  always  best  for  a  young  officer 
to  be  with  his  regiment,  especially  when  in  the  field,  and 
it  is  possible  that  they  may  have  their  share  of  fighting- 
round  Candahar,  And  now  there  is  one  thing  more. 
You  will  have  to  get  an  outfit,  and  there  will  be  the 
expense  of  your  travel  until  you  join  your  regiment. 
There  will  be  no  difficulty  about  an  outfit.  This  you 
can  procure  easily  on  the  sale  of  some  officer's  efiects. 
By  the  by,  poor  young  Thompson,  who  died  yesterday, 
was  about  your  size,  and  you  had  better  bid  a  lump 
sum  for  the  whole  of  his  kit.  I  shall  be  happy  to  be 
your  banker  for  that  and  the  needful  sum  for  your 
travelling  expenses.  When  you  join  your  regiment 
you  will,  of  course,  be  able  to  draw  your  pay  from  the 
date  on  which  you  were  gazetted." 

Will  thanked  the  general  very  heartily  for  his  ofi'er, 
but  said  that  he  had  £100  standing  at  his  account  at 
the  bank  of  Hindostan,  which  had  been  presented  to 
him  by  the  owners  of  the  vessel  in  which  he  arrived 
there,  and  that  this  would  be  more  than  sufficient  for 
all  his  needs  if  the  general  would  kindly  authorize 
the  staff"  paymaster  to  cash  his  drafts  upon  the  bank. 

This  request  was  at  once  granted.  The  paymaster 
of  Lieutenant  Thompson's  regiment  estimated  that  the 
effects  of  the  young  officer  would  sell  at  auction  for 
about  £20,  and  this  sum  William  Gale  gladly  paid, 
thereby  obtaining  a  complete  outfit  of  regimental  and 


DOWN   THE   PASS.  257 

civilian  clothes  and  under  linen  of  all  descriptions.  An- 
other £30  bought  him  a  horse  and  saddlery;  while  for £5 
he  obtained  a  rough  pony  for  the  use  of  Yossouf,  who 
steadily  refused  to  leave  him,  although  Will  pointed 
out  to  him  that,  glad  as  he  should  be  to  have  him  with 
him,  it  would  be  far  more  to  his  advantage  to  remain 
among  his  people  at  Cabul,  where  he  had  means  of 
settling  comfortably. 

Upon  the  following  day,  having  obtained  his  new 
uniform,  which  he  found  required  no  alteration  to  fit 
him  fairly,  William  Gale  dined  with  General  Roberts, 
who  had  kindly  invited  him  in  order  to  introduce  him 
in  his  new  position  to  the  officers  of  his  staff.  He  was 
obliged  to  remain  three  or  four  days  longer  at  Sherpur 
until  a  strong  escort  with  sick  was  going  down  through 
the  passes  to  Jellalabad.  His  baggage  was  stowed  upon 
a  camel,  and  after  a  kind  adieu  from  General  Roberts, 
and  a  very  cordial  one  from  the  staff  sergeants,  among 
whom  he  had  worked  for  three  months,  he  started 
with  the  convoy  for  the  lower  valleys.  The  escort  con- 
sisted of  a  hundred  men  of  the  infantry  of  the  Guides. 
The  way  down  the  pass  was  difficult,  but  no  snow  had 
fallen  for  three  weeks,  and  the  roads  were  fairly 
beaten  down  by  passing  parties.  Still  their  progress 
was  slow,  and  late  on  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day 
after  starting  they  were  still  four  miles  from  the  fort 
of  Jugdulluk,  which  was  held  by  a  British  force,  and 
where  they  were  to  halt  for  the  night. 

The  Guides  were  on  the  alert.    A  party  of  four  men 

(274)  ^         -^  R 


258  THE   ATTACK   ON   THE   CONVOY 

were  200  yards  ahead  o£  the  little  column,  which  was 
commanded  by  Captain  Edwards.  Presently  a  shot 
rang  out  from  the  front  followed  by  a  scattered  dis- 
charge. William  Gale  was  at  the  moment  riding  by  the 
side  of  Captain  Edwards;  he  had  already  placed  himself 
under  that  officer's  orders  in  case  of  any  emergency. 

"  Mr.  Gale,"  Captain  Edwards  said,  "  will  you  ride 
forward  at  once  with  six  men  to  the  advanced  party. 
When  you  get  there  take  such  measures  as  you  may 
think  fit,  and  send  me  back  word  as  to  the  streno^th 
and  position  of  the  enemy." 

With  six  of  the  Guides  Will  at  once  rode  forward, 
while  Captain  Edwards  halted  until  the  little  column 
was  gathered  closely  together,  the  camels  and  dhoolies 
with  sick  men  in  the  centre,  the  soldiers  in  readiness 
for  action  around  them.  A  soldier  now  ran  up  with  a 
slip  of  paper  upon  which  Will  had  scribbled  in  pencil: 
"  The  enemy  are  apparently  in  considerable  force.  The 
defile  opens  here.  They  are  disposed  among  rocks  and 
boulders  on  either  side." 

Will  on  arriving  at  the  advanced  party  had  found  at 
once  that  the  force  of  the  enemy  was  too  strong  for 
him  to  attempt  to  move  forward  at  present.  He  had 
posted  the  men  behind  boulders  by  the  wayside,  order- 
ing them  to  pick  ofi"  any  man  that  showed  himself,  and 
they  were  soon  engaged  in  a  sharp  musketry  skirmish 
with  the  enemy.  One  of  their  number  had  fallen  at 
the  first  discharge,  and  Will,  taking  his  rifle,  used  it 
with  effect  until  the  head  of  the  convoy  arrived. 


THE   FIGHT   IN    THE   DEFILE.  259 

It  was  now  fast  becoming  dark,  and  the  flashes  of 
the  enemy's  fire  from  behind  the  rocks  showed  how 
numerous  were  the  assailants. 

"  There  must  be  a  couple  of  thousands  of  the 
scoundrels,"  Will  said  to  Captain  Edwards  as  the  latter 
came  up  to  ascertain  the  state  of  affairs.  "  Hampered 
with  the  convoy,  the  position  is  an  awkward  one.  It 
is  fortunate  they  attacked  where  they  did,  for  we  can 
hold  our  own  here;  while,  if  they  had  waited  till  we 
got  fairly  down  into  this  comparatively  open  valley  and 
then  attacked  us  on  both  flanks,  it  would  have  been 
very  awkward.  We  must  try  and  clear  them  out;  we 
cannot  stop  here  all  night.  It  is  freezing  very  sharp 
now,  and  the  cold  will  be  intense  in  an  hour  or  two." 

"I  will  take  thirty  men,"  Captain  Edwards  said, 
"and  skirmish  along  among  the  rocks  on  the  left.  Do 
you  take  as  many  more,  and  move  along  the  right  of 
the  path.  The  remaining  forty  shall  stay  here  under 
my  sergeant  to  guard  the  convoy  from  an  attack  in 
rear  in  case  any  of  the  enemy  should  come  down  the 
defile  behind  us.'' 

The  fight  soon  became  exceedingly  hot.  Making 
their  way  along  the  rocks  on  either  side  of  the  path,  the 
Guides  slowly  drove  the  enemy  before  them.  It  was 
hard  work,  however,  for  the  tribesmen  fought  steadily, 
and  as  those  in  front  fell  back  upon  those  lower  down 
the  valley  their  resistance  became  every  moment  more 
obstinate.  Eight  of  Will's  party  had  already  fallen; 
but  although,  sword  in  hand,  he  was  leading  them, 


260  HEMMED   IN. 

encouraoino^  them  with  voice  and  sjesture,  not  a  bullet 
had  as  yet  struck  him.  Presently  Captain  Edwards, 
having  crossed  the  valley,  stood  by  his  side. 

"  We  are  at  a  standstill,"  he  said.  "  Nine  of  my 
men  are  killed  or  wounded  already,  and  the  fellows 
are  as  thick  as  peas.  I  am  afraid  we  shall  never  be 
able  to  force  our  way  through.  There,"  he  exclaimed, 
as  a  sound  of  firing  was  heard  in  the  rear,  "  they  have 
come  down  on  the  convoy  from  behind.  We  had 
better,  I  think,  fall  back  a  bit,  and  take  post  near  the 
mouth  of  the  defile.  We  must  defend  ourselves  as  best 
we  can  till  mornino-." 

o 

The  movement  was  steadily  executed,  the  wounded 
men  being  carried  with  them  as  they  retired.  The  tribes- 
men advanced  as  they  fell  back,  not  venturing  to  press 
them,  however,  for  the  rear-guard  kept  their  faces  to- 
wards them,  and  any  who  ventured  to  show  themselves 
instantly  paid  the  penalty  of  their  rashness.  For  an 
hour  the  fio^ht  went  on.  It  was  nioht  now,  and  dark 
as  pitch  in  the  deep  valley  in  which  the  fight  was 
going  on,  the  position  of  the  combatants  being  only 
indicated  by  the  fiickering  flashes  of  the  muskets. 
The  Afghans  were  gradually  creeping  nearer,  as  the 
Guides  could  see  by  the  flashes. 

"  If  the  fellows  only  make  a  determined  rush  at  us," 
Captain  Edwards  said  to  Will,  "  it  will  go  hard  with 
us.  Fortunately  they  are  as  much  in  the  dark  as  we 
are,  and  will  find  it  difficult  to  gather  for  a  rush." 

"  I  think  we  may  hold  out  till  morning,  but  by  that 


WILL  gale's  offer.  261 

time  news  that  we  are  blockaded  here  will  spread 
throughout  the  hills,  and  we  may  have  10,000  of  them 
down  on  us.  I  think,  if  you  will  give  me  leave,  the 
best  plan  will  be  for  me  to  try  and  make  my  way 
down  to  Jugdulluk  to  bring  up  help  from  there." 

"  You  would  never  get  through,"  Captain  Edw^ards 
advised.  "  It  is  a  brave  offer,  Gale,  but  could  not  be 
done." 

"I  think  it  might  be  done,"  Will  said.  "It  is  as 
dark  as  pitch.  I  will  take  my  lad  with  me,  and  will 
borrow  a  native  cap  and  cloak  from  one  of  the  bearers 
— there  are  some  Afghans  among  them.  I  will  take 
off  my  patrol  jacket  and  leave  it  behind  me,  and  my 
boots.  We  will  crawl  along  in  the  dark.  If,  as  is 
likely  enough,  we  stumble  against  some  of  them,  we 
will  say  we  are  w^ounded  and  are  making  our  w^ay  to 
the  rear.  They  cannot  see  us  in  the  dark,  and  my 
Afghan  will  pass  muster,  and  Yossouf  will  certainly 
not  be  suspected.  If  I  am  discovered  and  killed  he 
will  go  forward  and  deliver  the  message." 

The  plan  seemed  to  offer  every  possibility  of  success, 
and  Captain  Edwards,  seeing  how  serious  the  position 
was,  consented  to  allow  Will  to  attempt  it. 

A  few  words  to  Yossouf  sufficed  to  inform  him  of 
the  task  Will  was  about  to  undertake,  and  he  at  once 
agreed  to  share  the  danger.  A  rough  sheepskin  cap 
was  obtained  for  Will  from  one  of  the  camel  men. 
His  tunic  w^as  thrown  off,  and  a  posteen  or  Afghan 
sheepskin  coat  was  put  on  in  its  place.     He  took  a 


262  A   DESPERATE   MISSION. 

long  matchlock  which  the  camel  man  carried  slung 
over  his  shoulders,  took  off  his  boots,  and  thrust  a  pair 
of  loose  Afghan  shoes  into  his  belt.  Yossouf  needed  no 
preparations  beyond  borrowing  a  matchlock.  Wring- 
ing Captain  Edwards'  hand.  Will  stooped  on  his  hands 
and  knees,  and,  with  Yossouf  a  pace  or  two  ahead, 
began  to  crawl  down  the  path. 

Before  starting  the  orders  had  been  sent  round  to 
the  soldiers  to  fire  at  the  rocks  on  either  side  of  the 
path,  but  on  no  account  to  fire  down  the  road  itself. 
As  he  expected.  Will  found  this  clear  of  Afghans  for  a 
considerable  distance.  A  heavy  fire  had,  previous  to 
their  starting,  been  directed  down  this  path  to  prevent 
the  Afghans  from  gathering  there  in  the  darkness  pre- 
paratory to  making  a  rush.  They  came  across  several 
dead  bodies,  but  the  enemy  were  all  behind  rocks  on 
one  side  or  other  of  the  road. 

When  they  had  crawled  a  hundred  yards  they  were 
past  the  front  line,  from  which  the  Afghans  were 
keeping  up  a  heavy  fire;  but  Will  knew  that  from  their 
numbers  they  must  extend  far  back  down  the  valiey, 
and  indeed  from  almost  every  rock  the  flashes  of  the 
matchlocks  blazed  out  as  the  lurking  tribesmen  fired 
in  the  direction  of  the  mouth  of  the  defile.  They  were 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  down  when  an  Afghan,  who 
had  been  crouching  behind  a  rock  close  to  the  path, 
advanced  into  the  road  to  fire,  when  he  stumbled 
against  Yossouf. 

''What  are  you  doing?"  he  exclaimed. 


THE  BRITISH   POST.  '2G3 

"We  are  both  wounded  by  the  Kaffirs,"  Yossouf 
answered,  "  and  are  making  our  way  back  to  bind  up 
our  wounds.  I  think  my  arm  is  broken,  but  I  mean  to 
come  back  ag-ain  to  have  a  few  more  shots  at  the  in- 
fidels." 

"Good!"  the  Afghan  replied.  "How  goes  it  in 
front?" 

"  Their  fire  is  lessening,"  Yossouf  said.  "  We  must 
have  killed  many.  We  shall  finish  with  them  in  the 
morning  if  not  before.'' 

The  Afghan  fired,  and  then  retired  behind  his  rock 
to  load  again,  while  Will  and  Yossouf  continued  their 
way.  A  few  hundred  yards  farther  they  rose  to  their 
feet.  Will  slipped  on  the  Afghan  shoes,  and  they  then 
proceeded  at  a  rapid  pace  down  the  pass.  Several 
times  they  withdrew  from  the  road  and  hid  beside  it 
as  they  met  parties  of  tribesmen  hurrying  up  to  join  in 
the  attack,  but  in  an  hour  after  starting  they  heard  the 
welcome  challenge  of  the  sentry  at  Jugdulluk.  Saying 
who  he  was,  Will  was  at  once  passed  forward  into  the 
fort  and  taken  to  the  quarters  of  the  officer  in  com- 
mand. 

"I  am  Lieutenant  Gale,  of  the  C6th,"  Will  said, 
"  and  was  on  my  way  down  the  pass  with  the  convoy 
of  wounded  and  100  men  of  the  Guides  under  Captain 
Edwards.  They  have  been  attacked  at  the  lower  end 
of  the  defile,  some  four  miles  above,  by  a  very  strong 
body  of  tribesmen.  They  are  attacked  front  and  rear. 
I  have  made  my  way  through  to  ask  you  if  you  can 


264  A   RELIEVING   PARTY. 

despatch  a  force  to  their  rescue.  Were  the  tribesmen 
attacked  in  their  rear  now  they  might  be  scattered 
easily  enough,  but  they  are  assembling  very  fast,  and 
in  the  morning  it  will  be  a  difficult  matter  to  reach 
them." 

"We  have  fancied,"  the  officer  said,  "for  the  last 
two  hours  that  we  heard  distant  firing,  but  we  could 
not  be  sure,  for  any  noise  echoes  so  in  these  mountains. 
I  will  set  out  at  once  with  you  with  as  many  men  as  I 
can  spare." 


CHAPTER  XYII. 

AT   CANDAHAE. 

HE  garrison  of  Jugdulluk  consisted  only  of 
220  Sikhs.  The  officer  in  command  left 
seventy  of  these  in  charge  of  one  of  his 
subalterns,  with  the  injunction  to  exercise  the  most 
extreme  vigilance  in  his  absence.  Then  with  150  men, 
a  subaltern,  and  Will  Gale  he  started  up  the  path  to 
effect  the  rescue  of  the  beleaguered  convoy.  The  road 
wound  and  turned  frequently  among  the  spurs  of  the 
lofty  hills  which  had  cut  off  the  sound  of  firing  from 
the  garrison,  and  only  a  faint  and  distant  murmur  was 
audible  when  they  started.  After  marching  two  miles, 
however,  the  rattle  of  the  musketry  became  clear  and 
distinct.  Upon  the  way  the  officer  in  command  learned 
from  Will  the  exact  position  of  things  in  front  and  the 
situation  of  the  Afghans. 

When  within  half  a  mile  of  the  scene  of  action  jB.fty 
men  were  thrown  out  on  either  side  of  the  road,  while 
the  other  fifty  advanced  very  slowly  along  the  centre. 
The  orders  to  the  flankers  were  to  search  among  the 
rocks  as  they  advanced,  and  to  bayonet  or  shoot  every 


266  THE   CONVOY    RELIEVED. 

Afghan  they  found  among  them.  It  was  not  long 
before  they  came  upon  the  enemy.  Then  the  rifles 
cracked  out,  and  the  wild  shouts  of  the  Afghans  be- 
tokened their  astonishment  at  being  thus  unexpectedly 
assailed  in  rear. 

Numerous  as  they  were  they  offered  but  a  slight 
resistance.  Their  one  thought  was  to  effect  their  escape ; 
and  they  hurried  rapidly  away  as  the  relief  advanced, 
climbing  the  steep  sides  of  the  valley  by  paths  only 
known  to  themselves,  and  then  from  the  hillside  far 
above  opening  a  scattered  fire  at  random  down  into 
the  valley. 

In  five  minutes  all  resistance  had  ceased.  The  flank- 
ing parties  were  ordered  to  shelter  themselves  behind 
the  rocks  and  to  return  the  fire  of  the  natives  on  the 
hillsides,  to  retain  the  position  until  the  convoy  passed 
through,  and  then  to  close  behind  it  as  a  rear- 
guard. 

With  the  fifty  men  in  the  road  the  officer  then 
pushed  forward,  and  was  soon  greeted  by  a  shout  of 
welcome  from  the  defenders  of  the  defixle.  There  was 
not  a  minute  to  be  lost,  for  the  Afghans,  when  they 
recovered  from  their  first  scare,  would  renew  the 
attack;  and  the  party  pressing  down  the  defile  on 
their  rear,  ignorant  of  what  had  taken  place  below, 
were  still  keeping  up  an  incessant  fire.  Twenty-eight 
of  the  Guides  were  already  killed  or  wounded. 

Several  of  the  sick  men  in  the  dhoolies  volunteered 
to  walk  down  to  the  fort  and  to  give  up  their  places  to 


safp:  in  the  fort. 


267 


those  of  the  wounded  men  who  were  unable  to  walk, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  the  convoy  moved  forward. 

The  fifty  men  of  the  relieving  party  placed  them- 
selves in  their  rear;  and  as  the  tribesmen  who  had 
been  attacking  them  from  behind  rushed  down  through 
the  defile  with  exulting  shouts,  believing  that  they 
were  now  secure  of  their  victims,  the  Sikhs  opened  so 
heavy  a  fire  on  them  that  they  fell  back  up  the  defile 
in  disorder.  As  the  convoy  wound  down  the  valley 
the  enemy  again  assembled  on  the  hills  and  pursued 
them  hotly.  But  the  Sikhs  and  Guides  kept  up  so 
steady  a  fire  that  they  did  not  venture  to  approach  to 
close  quarters,  and  with  a  loss  of  eighteen  more  men 
the  convoy  reached  the  shelter  of  the  fort.  Conscious 
of  their  inability  to  attack  this  position  the  Afghans 
drew  off". 

On  returning  to  his  friends  Will  had  resumed  his 
uniform,  and  now  on  reaching  the  fort  Captain  Ed- 
wards expressed  to  him  his  warmest  thanks  for  the 
hazardous  adventure  that  he  had  undertaken. 

"I  shall,  of  course,"  he  concluded,  "furnish  a  full 
report  of  the  affair  to  the  general,  and  I  should  think 
he  would  recommend  you  for  the  Victoria  Cross.  If 
any  fellow  ever  deserved  it  you  do  so,  for  it  seemed  to 
me  almost  certain  death  to  venture  through  the  pass. 
I  never  expected  to  see  you  again,  and  I  was  never 
more  glad  in  my  life  than  I  was  when  the  firing  began 
down  below  in  the  valley,  and  knew  that  help  was 
at  hand;  for  had  you  failed  it  would  have  been  all  up 


268  MEETING   OLD  FRIENDS. 

with  US.  I  doubt  if  we  should  have  seen  the  morning, 
and  at  any  rate  few  of  us  would  have  been  left  by  that 
time." 

The  convoy  reached  Jellalabad  without  further  ad- 
venture, and  Captain  Edwards  reported  to  the  general 
the  events  of  the  march.  He  was  requested  to  give  a 
full  written  report  of  the  affair,  and  the  general  stated 
that  in  forwarding  it  he  should  certainly  append  a 
recommendation  that  Lieutenant  Gale  should  receive 
the  Victoria  Cross  for  his  gallantry  in  venturing 
through  the  Afghans  to  fetch  assistance  or  the  convoy. 

Will  himself,  as  soon  as  he  reached  Jellalabad,  hur- 
ried away  to  the  cantonment  of  the  Norfolk  EangerS; 
who  were  in  a  village  a  mile  distant  from  the  town. 
He  was  not  recognized  as  he  passed  through  the  sol- 
diers scattered  about  the  village  street,  and  was  soon 
at  the  principal  house  where  the  colonel  had  his  quar- 
ters. On  sending  in  his  name  he  was  at  once  shown 
into  the  room  where  the  colonel  was  at  work. 

"  I  am  indeed  glad  to  see  you,"  the  latter  said,  rising 
and  shaking  him  heartily  by  the  hand,  "  and  I  con- 
gratulate you  most  warmly  on  your  promotion.  I 
promised  to  do  what  I  could  for  you  when  you  joined, 
but  I  did  not  expect  that  it  would  be  so  soon." 

"  I  am  indeed  obliged  to  you,  colonel,  for  your  kind- 
ness," Will  said,  "  and  am  conscious  how  much  I  owe 
to  you." 

"  Not  at  all,  my  boy,  not  at  all ;  it  was  General 
Eoberts  himself  who  recommended  you  for  your  com- 


A  HEARTY   RECEPTION.  269 

mission,  and  I  was  only  too  glad  to  back  up  his  recom- 
mendation to  the  best  of  my  power.  We  all  thought 
you  were  gone  when  you  were  reported  as  missing 
at  Ali-Kheyl,  and  we  heard  from  the  sentry  that, 
having  gone  forward  to  investigate  the  origin  of  a 
noise  he  had  reported  to  you,  you  were  suddenly  fired 
upon,  and  that  he  saw  no  more  of  you  as  he  ran  back 
to  the  picket.  I  was  glad  indeed  when  the  report  was 
received  from  poor  Cavagnari  that  upon  his  arrival  at 
Cabul  he  had  found  you  there  just  recovering  from 
your  wounds.  Then,  of  course,  we  gave  you  up  again 
when  we  heard  of  the  massacre  of  the  mission;  and  it 
seemed  like  a  resurrection  from  the  dead  when  I  got  a 
letter  from  Koberts  saying  you  were  found  again,  and 
that  he  was  recommending  you  for  a  commission.  I 
see  by  the  Gazette  you  are  appointed  to  the  66th,  and 
we  were  expecting  to  see  you  on  your  way  down.  Had 
you  any  difficulty  in  getting  through  the  passes?" 

"The  convoy  was  attacked,  sir,  by  the  tribesmen 
when  near  Jugdulluk,  but  the  garrison  came  out  to  our 
rescue  and  we  got  through  safely.  But  we  had  thirty 
men  killed  or  wounded." 

"A  smart  affair !"  the  colonel  said.  ''And  now  of  course 
you  will  take  up  your  quarters  with  us  for  a  day  or 
two  before  you  go  on.  The  officers  will  all  be  glad  to 
,see  you,  and  you  will  be  able  to  tell  us  all  about  the 
attack  on  the  mission  and  the  recent  fighting.  Roberts 
has  been  having  some  hot  work  there.  We  have  been 
grumbling  horribly  at  our  bad  luck.     We  thought  at 


270  AN    INVITATION. 

the  time  we  were  fortunate  at  being  sent  back  to  India 
when  peace  was  signed,  instead  of  being  kept  in  the 
Khurum  valley.  But  the  consequence  has  been  that 
we  have  been  out  of  it  all.  However,  we  must  look 
upon  you  as  our  representative." 

Will  hesitated  about  staying,  but  the  colonel  over- 
ruled his  objection,  saying  that  as  there  would  be  no 
fighting  until  the  spring  there  could  be  no  particular 
hurry  for  him  to  join  his  regiment.  A  spare  room 
was  placed  at  his  disposal  in  the  colonel's  quarters,  and 
Will  was  soon  made  at  home.  The  officers  flocked  in 
upon  hearing  of  his  arrival,  and  all  congratulated  him 
most  warmly  upon  his  promotion.  An  hour  later  a 
mounted  orderly  rode  up  to  the  colonel's  quarters. 

"Is  Lieutenant  Gale  here?"  he  asked.  Will  went 
forward. 

"A  note  from  the  general,"  the  orderly  said,  and 
handing  it  to  him;  "also  one  for  Colonel  Shepherd." 
Will's  note  was  simply  an  invitation  to  dine  that 
evening  with  the  general.  The  colonel's  letter  was 
as  follows: — 

"  Dear  Colonel  Shepherd, — As  Lieutenant  Gale 
was  promoted  from  your  regiment  I  think  it  is  likely 
that  he  has  found  his  way  to  you.  I  have  written  to 
ask  him  to  dinner;  please  spare  him  to  me.  I  hope 
you  will  do  me  the  pleasure  of  accompanying  him.  He 
has  performed  a  most  gallant  action,  and  I  have  just 
had  the  pleasure  of  writing  a  despatch  recommending 
him  for  the  V.C." 


1 — i  '!'"i''|i,'!lii|||,'|j|| 


LETTERS    FROM   THE   GENERAL. 


WILL   TELLS    HIS    STORY.  271 

Will  and  the  colonel  at  once  wrote  notes  accepting 
the  invitation.  When  these  had  been  sent  out  to  the 
orderly  the  colonel  read  aloud  to  the  officers  present 
the  note  he  had  received  from  the  general. 

"Now,"  he  said,  turning  to  Will,  "what  is  that  you 
have  been  doing  ?  You  told  us  the  convoy  had  been 
attacked  and  sharply  pressed,  but  you  said  nothing  of 
your  share  in  the  affair.     What  was  it  ?" 

"It  was  simple  enough,  sir,"  Will  answered,  colour- 
ing hotly.  "We  were  surrounded  just  at  the  mouth  of 
the  defile.  The  enemy  held  the  valley  in  front  in  great 
force,  and  another  party  were  pressing  on  our  rear. 
Things  looked  awkward,  and  so  I  volunteered  with 
my  faithful  Afghan  boy  to  get  through  the  fellows  in 
front  and  make  my  way  down  to  Jugdulluk,  which  was 
four  miles  away,  to  bring  the  garrison  up  on  their 
rear.  It  was  simple  enough,  and  in  fact  there  was 
Jess  danger  than  in  remaining  with  the  convoy  to  be 
popped  at  by  the  Afghans.  The  night  was  very  dark, 
and  down  in  the  bottom  one  could  hardly  see  one's 
hand.  The  Afghans  had  been  cleared  pretty  well  off 
the  road  by  our  fire,  so  there  was  no  difficulty  what- 
ever in  making  our  way  down.  We  were,  in  fact,  only 
questioned  once ;  and  my  boy's  statement,  that  we  were 
wounded  and  were  going  to  the  rear,  was  accepted  at 
once." 

"The  fact  that  you  succeeded,"  the  colonel  said,  "does 
not  detract  from  the  pluck  required  to  attempt  such 
an  adventure.     To  my  mind  there  is  more  courage  re- 


272  EARNING  A  V.C. 

quired  in  venturing  alone  through  the  midst  of  the 
Afghans  at  night  than  there  would  be  in  charging 
any  number  of  them  in  hot  blood  in  the  light.  You 
have  earned  the  V.C.  well,  Gale,  and  I  am  sure  we 
all  feel  proud  of  you,  though  you  do  not  belong  to  us 
now." 

There  was  a  chorus  of  approval  from  the  officers 
around. 

"I  don't  belong  to  you  now,  sir,  but,"  Will  said 
earnestly,  "I  shall  always  feel,  whatever  regiment  I 
may  be  with,  that  the  Norfolk  Rangers  are  my  corps. 
It  is  the  kindness  which  was  shown  me  here  which 
has  put  me  in  the  way  of  rising,  and  I  shall  never 
forget  it." 

It  was  now  time  to  dress  for  dinner,  and  Will  for 
the  first  time  arrayed  himself  in  full-dress  uniform. 
The  buttons  and  facings  he  would  of  course  get  altered 
when  he  joined  the  regiment.  The  general  received 
Gale  with  great  kindness.  He  had  a  large  party  to 
dinner;  among  them  was  Captain  Edwards;  and  after 
the  table  was  cleared  the  latter,  at  the  general's  request, 
gave  a  full  account  of  the  attack  upon  the  convoy,  and 
Will  was  then  called  upon  to  relate  the  part  which  he 
had  taken  in  it,  which  he  did  very  modestly  and 
quietly. 

For  two  days  longer  he  stopped  at  Jellalabad,  and 
then  with  a  hearty  farewell  to  the  officers  of  the 
Rangers  he  started  down  the  pass.  He  again  journeyed 
with  a  convoy;  for  although  the  tribes  below  Jellalabad 


ON   THE   WAY   TO   CANDAHAR.  273 

were  cowed  into  submivssion  many  attacks  were  made 
by  the  mountaineers  upon  small  parties  going  up  or 
down  the  passes,  and  stringent  orders  had  been  issued 
that  no  officer  should  go  down  except  when  accom- 
panied by  an  escort. 

After  a  week's  travelling  Will  arrived  with  Yossouf 
at  Peshawur,  then  he  rode  by  easy  stages  until  he 
reached  the  Indus,  where,  taking  his  place  on  a  steamer, 
he  travelled  down  the  river  to  Sukkur,  where  he  dis- 
embarked and  started  for  the  weary  march  across  the 
desert  to  the  foot  of  the  Bolan. 

Alono'  the  road  laro-^  numbers  of  coolies  were  at 
work  constructing  a  line  of  railway  which  was  now 
almost  complete  to  the  foot  of  the  pass.  It  did  not 
ascend  this,  but  turning  to  the  right  wound  up  the 
hills  to  the  plateau.  It  was  intended  to  be  taken  on 
to  Candahar,  and  its  completion  would  have  been  an 
immense  boon  both  to  that  city  and  to  India,  as  it 
would  have  opened  a  great  trade  to  the  north,  and 
have  enabled  the  inhabitants  of  the  fertile  plain  around 
Candahar  to  send  their  corUj  fruit,  and  other  products 
down  to  India.  Unhappily,  with  the  subsequent  aban- 
donment of  Candahar  the  formation  of  the  railway 
was  stopped,  and  the  whole  allowed  to  go  to  ruin.  The 
work  has,  however,  been  recently  taken  in  hand  again. 

Will  and  his  follower  ascended  the  Bolan,  stopped  a 
day  or  two  at  Quettah  to  rest  their  horses,  and  then 
proceeded  on  through  the  fertile  plains  of  Pisheen  and 
over  the  Kojak  Pass,  and  thence  on  to  Candahar.   Here 

(274)  s 


274  will's  new  position. 

Will  joined  his  new  regiment  and  was  well  received  by 
its  officers. 

In  every  regiment  in  the  service  an  officer  risen  from 
the  ranks  is  invariably  received  with  special  courtesy 
and  kindness.  Every  endeavour  is  made  to  place  him 
at  his  ease  in  his  new  position.  This  is  specially  so 
when,  as  in  Will's  case,  the  promotion  has  been  earned 
by  distinguished  services  in  the  field. 

In  most  instances  officers  promoted  from  the  rank 
of  sergeant  are  a  good  deal  older  than  the  young 
lieutenants  among  whom  they  find  themselves.  Being 
often  married  men,  and  having  nothing  but  their  pay 
to  depend  upon,  they  find  themselves,  therefore,  un- 
able to  take  much  part  in  the  pleasures  and  gaieties 
of  the  regiment. 

In  India,  however,  as  the  rate  of  pay  is  much  higher, 
an  unmarried  officer  can  live  very  comfortably  on  his 
pay;  and  as  in  the  field  the  expenses  are  far  less  than 
when  a  res^iment  is  in  cantonments  at  a  laro-e  station, 
where  there  is  much  gaiety,  Will  found  that  he  was 
able  to  ifve  very  comfortably  on  his  pay  in  the  same 
style  as  that  of  his  comrades.  They  on  their  part  were 
pleased  to  find  in  Will  a  young  fellow  of  the  same  age 
as  the  other  junior  lieutenants,  and  withal  a  pleasant 
gentlemanly  young  man.  The  fact,  too,  that  he  had 
seen  so  much  service,  had  gone  through  stirring  adven- 
tures, and  had  fought  by  the  side  of  Cavagnari  in  the 
Bala-Hissar,  made  him  quite  a  hero  among  them,  and 
Will  was  soon  thoroughly  one  of  themselves.     When 


WILL    IMPROVES   HIS   MIND.  275 

it  Avas  known  that  the  regiment  was  likely  to  remain 
at  Canclahar  for  some  time  many  luxuries  had  been 
brought  up  from  India,  together  with  means  of  passing 
away  the  time,  such  as  the  necessary  appliances  for 
cricket,  racket,  and  other  games. 

Among  these  too  were  several  boxes  of  books,  and 
Will,  who  had  at  first  a  little  amused  his  comrades  by 
his  absolute  ignorance  of  cricket,  but  who  soon  became 
a  promising  recruit  at  that  game,  steadily  devoted 
three  hours  a  day  to  reading  in  order  to  improve  his 
mind,  and  to  obtain  a  knowledge  of  the  various  matters 
which  were  topics  of  conversation  among  his  comrades. 
Above  all  he  diligently  studied  the  newspapers,  great 
parcels  of  which  arrived  every  week,  in  order  to  obtain 
some  knowledge  of  the  political  state  of  affairs  in  Eng- 
land, the  position  of  parties,  and  the  various  matters 
occupying  public  attention. 

He  had  at  first  found  his  ignorance  of  these  matters 
a  great  drawback  to  him  in  general  conversation;  but 
he  discovered  that  newspapers  rather  than  books  are 
useful  in  enablinof  a  man  to  mix  with  his  fellows  in 
social  talk,  and  that  the  current  events  of  the  day  form 
ninety-nine  hundredths  of  the  subjects  of  conversation. 
The  fact  that  all  his  mess-mates  had  been  thoroughly 
posted  in  the  history  of  Rome  and  Greece,  that  they 
could  read  these  lano^uages  almost  as  well  as  Encrlish, 
that  they  had  been  coached  in  high  mathematics,  and 
had  a  knowledge  of  French  and  German,  gave  them.  Will 
found,  very  little  advantage  in  general  conversation; 


276  THE   ADVANTAGE   OF  EDUCATION. 

and  he  was  surprised  to  discover  how  entirely  useless 
from  a  practical  point  of  view  is  much  of  the  instruc- 
tion which  must  be  mastered  by  young  men  before 
obtaining  a  commission. 

Many  times,  when  talking  with  the  young  officers 
with  whom  he  was  most  intimate,  he  inquired  of  them 
what  good  they  found  the  learning  they  had  obtained 
during  their  many  years  of  schooling,  and  was  sur- 
prised at  the  universal  reply,  "No  good  whatever!" 
He  found,  however,  that  some  of  the  more  thoughtful 
of  them  admitted  that  they  had  gained  increased  powers 
of  thought  and  reasoning  from  their  training. 

"That  is  the  good  of  education,  Gale,"  Captain 
Fletcher,  who  commanded  Will's  company,  said  to  him 
one  day.  "A  certain  time  must  be  spent  upon  education, 
and  the  course  of  study  is  intended  to  strengthen  and 
improve  the  mental  powers.  As  far  as  soldiers  are  con- 
cerned it  would  certainly  be  of  more  practical  use  if  the 
time  we  spent  at  school  on  Greek  and  mathematics  had 
been  expended  in  acquiring  three  or  four  European  and 
Indian  languages.  But  you  see  boys  educated  at  the 
same  school  must  all  Avork  together  and  study  the 
same  books,  whatever  the  profession  for  which  they 
are  intended  is.  Our  practical,  that  is,  our  professional 
education,  only  begins  when  we  go  to  Woolwich  or 
Sandhurst.  Perhaps  some  day  a  different  system  will 
be  emploA^ed.  There  will  be  special  schools  for  lads 
intended  for  various  professions  and  careers.  Till  that 
is  done  we  must  all  work  upon  a  common  basis,  which 


GENERAL   STEWART'S   COLUMN  277 

has  at  least  the  advantage  of  forming  the  mind  for  the 
after  work  of  acquiring  the  special  branches  of  know- 
ledge required  by  us  in  the  careers  we  may  adopt.  If 
you  ask  my  advice  I  should  not  at  your  time  of  life 
dream  of  setting  to  to  learn  the  dead  languages  or  to 
study  mathematics.  Read  the  histories  of  Rome  and 
Greece,  and  study  that  of  your  own  country.  Read 
books  of  travel  and  the  biographies  of  great  men,  and 
keep  yourself  well  posted,  as  you  are  doing,  in  current 
public  events.  You  will  then  find  yourself  able  to  take 
part  on  equal  terms  in  any  conversation  which  may  be 
going  on.  You  will  indeed  be  considered  by  strangers 
an  exceptionally  well-informed  young  fellow,  and  you 
may  pass  through  life  without  any  person  having  a 
suspicion  that  Latin,  Greek,  and  mathematics,  the  car- 
dinal points  of  an  ordinary  education,  are  wholly  un- 
known to  you." 

Will  was  cheered  by  the  advice,  and  henceforth 
directed  his  studies  only  in  the  direction  which  Cap- 
tain Fletcher  had  indicated.  At  the  beginning  of  April 
a  large  diminution  had  taken  place  in  the  force  sta- 
tioned at  Candahar,  as  General  Sir  Donald  Stewart 
marched  with  the  greater  portion  of  the  force  for  Cabul. 
The  route  led  through  a  country  which  was  the  strong- 
hold of  the  fanatical  party,  the  important  town  of 
Ghuzni  containing  the  most  fanatical  population  in  all 
Afghanistan.  This  had  been  the  centre  whence  the 
attacks  on  General  Roberts  had  been  organized,  and  it 
was  deemed  necessary  to  march  a  strong  force  through 


278  THE   BATTLE   OF   AHMED-KHEL. 

the  country  to  overawe  the  tribesmen  and  break  up 
their  organization. 

The  march  was  uneventful  as  far  as  Shahjui,  the 
limit  of  the  Candahar  province.  At  this  point  the 
Taraki  country  begins.  The  Mollahs  here  had  been 
actively  preaching  a  holy  war,  and  several  thousand 
men  were  reported  as  having  collected.  The  villages 
were  found  to  be  deserted,  and  everything  betokened 
an  active  opposition  to  the  advance. 

When  the  head  of  the  column  arrived  at  Ahmed- 
Khel  a  body  of  the  enemy,  estimated  at  from  12,000  to 
15,000,  were  seen  clustered  on  a  semicircle  of  hills 
beyond  the  village.  The  baggage  of  the  column 
stretched  far  along  the  road,  and  it  was  all-important 
to  prevent  the  enemy  from  falling  upon  this  long  line. 
General  Stewart  therefore  determined  to  attack  them. 

The  two  batteries  of  artillery  opened  fire  upon  the 
enemy,  who  at  once  in  reply  rushed  down  to  the 
assault.  The  charge  was  led  by  some  3000  or  4000 
Ghazis,  as  they  were  called,  fanatics  who  had  sworn 
to  give  their  lives  in  carrying  out  their  object  of 
exterminating  the  hated  infidel.  Some  of  these  men 
were  armed  with  rifles  and  matchlocks,  some  with 
heavy  swords,  knives,  and  pistols;  others  again  with 
pikes  made  of  bayonets  or  pieces  of  sharpened  iron 
fastened  upon  long  sticks.  Some  were  on  foot  and 
some  on  horseback. 

With  wild  yells  the  mass  rushed  down  upon  our 
troops,  and  so  sudden  and  unexpected  was  the  attack, 


A   HAND-TO-HAND   STRUGGLE.  2t'J 

SO  swiftly  did  they  cross  the  400  or  500  j^ards  of 
intervening  ground,  that  they  came  upon  the  British 
before  preparation  could  be  made  for  their  reception. 
At  the  moment  when  they  charged,  some  of  the 
cavalry  were  moving  across  in  front  of  the  infantry, 
and  these,  before  they  could  be  got  into  a  line  for  a 
charge,  were  surrounded  by  the  enemy.  In  an  instant 
they  were  lost  to  sight  in  the  cloud  of  dust  and  smoke. 
It  was  a  hand-to-hand  struggle,  and  in  the  confusion 
a  troop  charged  to  the  right  in  rear  of  the  main  line 
of  the  infantry  and  burst  into  the  midst  of  the  19th 
Punjaub  Infantry,  wdio  were  in  reserve  in  rear  of  the 
position  occupied  by  the  general  and  his  staff.  In  a 
moment  all  was  confusion. 

The  ammunition  mules  were  stampeded,  riderless 
horses  dashed  hither  and  thither,  and  close  behind  the 
cavalry  the  Ghazis  with  a  furious  rush  dashed  in 
among  the  broken  infantry.  Upon  the  left  flank,  too, 
the  Ghazis  swept  round  in  the  rear  of  our  infantry 
line,  and  for  a  time  it  seemed  as  if  the  whole  British 
formation  was  broken  up,  in  which  case  the  numbers 
of  their  foes  must  have  prevailed.  Colonel  Lister,  Y.C., 
however,  who  commanded  the  Sd  Ghoorkas,  threw 
his  men  rapidly  into  company  squares,  and  poured  a 
tremendous  tire  into  the  fanatics. 

All  along  the  line  the  attack  raged,  and  so  hurriedly 
liad  the  battle  commenced  that  many  of  the  men  had 
not  even  fixed  bayonets.  Desperate  was  the  hand-to- 
hand  lighting,  and  valour  more  conspicuous  than  that 


280  REPULSE    OF   THE   FANATICS. 

of  the  Ghazis  was  never  shown.  Furiously  they  threw 
themselves  upon  the  line  of  their  opponents,  clutch- 
ing their  muskets  and  trying  to  wrench  them  from 
their  hands,  while  they  strove  to  cut  down  their 
holders. 

Many  of  them  threw  themselves  upon  the  fixed 
bayonets  and  died  in  the  endeavour  to  cut  down  the 
soldiers  with  their  swords,  but  the  three  regiments 
which  formed  the  line — one  British  (the  59th),  one 
Ghoorkas,  and  one  Sikhs — alike  held  their  own  and 
poured  rolling  volleys  into  the  ranks  of  the  enemy. 

Desperately  the  Ghazis  strove  to  capture  the  guns, 
which  were  firing  case  and  shrapnel  into  them  at  a 
distance  of  thirty  yards,  mowing  them  down  in  hun- 
dreds. Not  even  would  this  terrible  slaughter  have 
checked  them  had  not  the  2d  Punjaub  Cavalry  most 
gallantly  charged  them  again  and  again.  The  general, 
surrounded  by  his  escort,  was  in  the  midst  of  the  fight, 
the  enemy  having  burst  in  between  the  guns  and  the 
59th  Foot,  and  officers  and  troopers  had  alike  to  fight 
for  their  lives,  several  of  the  escort  being  killed  and 
wounded.  At  last,  however,  the  Ghazis  fell  back  from 
the  terrible  fire. 

The  1st  Punjaub  Cavalry  coming  up  from  the  rear 
joined  the  2d  in  a  hot  pursuit;  and  our  native  allies 
the  Hazaras,  seeing^  the  Af  o-hans  in  retreat,  also  rushed 
out  after  them,  and  the  rout  of  the  enemy  was  com- 
plete. The  fighting  had  lasted  about  an  hour,  and  the 
enemy  left  over  a  thousand  dead  on  the  field,  besides 


THE   FIGHT   AT   GHALEZ.  281 

the  bodies  which  had  been  carried  off  Their  wounded 
of  course,  Avere  far  more  numerous. 

Ghuzni  surrendered  without  opposition  when  the 
column  reached  it,  the  fighting  men  having  been 
engaged  in  the  battle  of  Ahmed- Khel,  and  having  had 
enough  of  hostilities.  On  the  2.3d  of  April  a  force 
under  Brigadier-general  Palliser  advanced  against  a 
large  body  of  natives  who  had  assembled  near  the  vil- 
lage of  Ghalez,  again  led  by  the  Ghazis.  These  rushed 
to  the  attack  with  a  courage  and  desperation  equal  to 
that  shown  by  the  fanatics  in  the  previous  battle.  Our 
men,  however,  were  this  time  prepared,  and  were  able 
to  inflict  very  heavy  losses  upon  the  enemy  without 
allowing  them  to  get  to  close  quarters. 

This  was  the  end  of  the  Afghan  resistance.  General 
Stewart  moved  on  to  Cabul  without  further  fighting, 
and  eftected  a  junction  thure  with  the  force  under 
General  Roberts. 


CHAPTER  XVIIT. 


ON   THE   HELMUXD. 


ITH  the  junction  of  the  forces  of  Generals 
Stewart  and  Roberts,  what  may  be  called 
the  second  period  of  the  Afghan  war  came 
to  an  end.  All  opposition  had  ceased,  and  it  appeared 
probable  that  there  would  be  no  more  fighting.  Abdul- 
Rahman,  a  prince  of  the  royal  house  who,  after  for 
some  time  fighting  against  Sheer  Ali,  had  been  defeated 
and  obliged  to  fly  the  country,  had  for  a  long  time 
been  a  resident  among  the  Russians. 

Upon  the  abdication  of  Yakoub  he  had  crossed  the 
frontier  and  had  entered  at  the  north  of  Afghanis- 
tan, assuming  the  title  of  Ameer.  He  had  been  Avell 
received  in  that  part  of  the  country,  and  as  no  other 
competitor  for  the  throne  appeared  to  have  chances 
equal  to  his,  and  as  the  British  government  were  most 
anxious  to  withdraw  their  forces  from  the  country,  his 
authority  was  recognized  by  us.  Negotiations  were 
opened  with  him,  and  it  was  arranged  that  as  he  ap- 
proached Cabul  the  British  force  would  retire. 

The  summer  had  passed  not  unpleasantly  at  Can- 


AN   ATTACK  BY   GHAZIS. 


283 


dahar:  the  country  was  peaceful,  cricket-matches  were 
got  up  between  the  various  regiments,  and  horse-races 
established.  Candahar  was  governed  by  a  protege 
of  the  British  named  Wall  Shere  Ali.  He  had  organ- 
ized a  native  army  to  support  his  authority  upon  our 
withdrawal.  The  only  circumstances  which  occurred 
to  mar  the  pleasing  time  were  isolated  attacks  upon 
British  officers  and  men  by  Ghazis. 

These  attacks  were  sometimes  made  in  broad  day- 
light in  the  streets  of  Candahar,  where  the  escape  of 
those  who  perpetrated  them  was  impossible;  these 
fanatics  regarding  their  own  life  with  indifference,  so 
that  they  could  but  kill  one  or  more  of  the  British 
before  being  cut  down. 

One  day  as  William  Gale  was  walking  in  the  prin- 
cipal street  of  Candahar  at  a  short  distance  behind 
Colonel  Bipon,  an  Indian  official  of  very  long  standing 
and  experience  who  had  come  up  on  a  special  mission 
to  arranoe  with  the  Wali  the  details  of  the  civil 
government  of  the  province,  he  saw  three  Afghans  who 
were  loiterino-  in  the  road  draw  their  lono-  tulwars 
and  dash  upon  that  officer.  The  first  who  readied  him 
delivered  a  sweeping  blow,  which  the  colonel,  taken 
by  surprise,  partly  received  on  his  uplifted  arm,  but 
was  struck  to  the  ground.  Another  of  the  Ghazis 
raised  his  sword;  but  before  it  could  fall  Will  Gale, 
who  saw  at  once  that  he  was  too  far  behind  to  inter- 
pose between  the  assailant  and  the  victim,  drew  his 
revolver  from  his  belt,  and,  taking  a  hasty  aim,  fired. 


284  A   DESPERATE   STRUGGLE. 

The  shot  was  an  accurate  one,  the  bullet  striking  the 
Afghan  on  the  forehead  just  as  he  was  about  to  strike. 
He  fell  forward  on  the  colonel,  receiving  as  he  did  so 
a  tremendous  blow  which  the  third  Ghazi  was  aiming 
at  the  prostrate  man. 

Before  the  blow  could  be  repeated  Will  had  bounded 
forward  and,  sword  in  one  hand  and  revolver  in  the 
other,  faced  the  two  Afghans.  Another  shot  freed  him 
of  one  of  his  assailants  just  as  the  other,  rushing  reck- 
lessly forward,  aimed  a  blow  at  him  which  he  was  not 
quick  enough  to  parry.  His  right  arm  fell  to  his  side; 
but  in  an  instant  he  threw  himself  upon  his  foe,  and 
the  two  fell  heavily  to  the  ground,  the  Afghan  striving 
desperately  to  shorten  his  sword  so  as  to  use  the  point, 
while  Will  strove  to  liberate  his  left  arm,  which  was 
under  the  man,  and  so  use  his  revolver,  which  he  still 
grasped. 

At  this  moment  some  soldiers  of  the  66th  ran  up, 
and  one  of  them  with  his  bayonet,  which  since  these 
attacks  began  were  always  carried  at  the  belt,  brought 
the  conflict  to  a  conclusion  by  running  it  through  and 
through  the  Ghazi's  body.  Will  soon  rose  to  his  feet. 
Colonel  Ripon  had  already  freed  himself  from  the  body 
of  the  dead  Ghazi  and  had  strusfo'led  to  his  feet,  the 
blood  streaming  from  his  head  and  arm. 

"I  have  to  thank  you  for  my  life,  sir,"  he  said 
warmly.  "Had  your  aid  come  but  two  seconds  less 
promptly  they  would  have  finished  me.  But  I  fear 
you  are  severely  wounded." 


WILL   SAVES   COLONEL    RIPON. 


PLEASANT   QUARTERS.  285 

"Oh,  no!"  Will  answered;  "it  is  only  a  flesh  wound 
from  my  shoulder  to  my  elbow.  Luckily  my  sword 
partly  caught  the  blow.  I  was  aiming  at  the  other 
fellow,  and  had  not  time  to  parry  fairly.  I  shall  be 
none  the  worse  for  it  in  a  week's  time.  My  wound 
is  less  severe  than  yours,  sir." 

"We  are  both  bleeding  pretty  freely,"  the  colonel 
said.  "  My  quarters  are  close  at  hand,  and  as  the 
principal  medical  officer  lives  in  the  same  house,  you 
cannot  do  better  than  come  in  with  me." 

In  a  few  minutes  their  wounds  were  bandaged,  the 
doctor  saying  that  no  serious  harm  had  been  done  in 
either  case,  but  that  care  and  quiet  lest  fever  should 
supervene  would  be  necessary  for  a  week  or  two.  As 
the  house  was  much  more  airy  and  commodious  than 
that  in  which  Will  was  quartered,  the  colonel  begged 
him  so  strongly  to  move  his  quarters  thither  until  able 
to  return  to  duty  that  Will  agreed  to  do  so,  and  was 
soon  installed,  with  Yossouf  in  attendance,  in  the 
colonel's  quarters. 

He  was  greatly  pleased  with  the  old  officer,  whose 
manner  was  most  kind  and  courteous,  and  who  from 
his  long  experience  in  India  was  full  of  anecdotes  and 
information  concerning  the  country.  Ten  days  after 
the  struggle  the  doctor  told  them  that  there  was  no 
longer  any  occasion  for  his  services. 

Their  wounds  were  healing  favourably  and  all  fear 
of  fever  had  passed.  At  the  same  time  it  would  still 
be  some  time  before  either  could  take  their  arms  from 


286  A   SINGULAR  LIKENESS. 

their  slings.  The  following  day,  in  honour  of  his  con- 
valescence, Colonel  Ripon  invited  several  friends  to 
dinner,  among  them  General  Burrows  and  Colonel 
Galbraith  of  the  6Gth.  All  had  of  course  heard  the 
details  of  the  attack  on  Colonel  Ripon,  and  Will  was 
congratulated  warmly  upon  the  promptness  that  he 
had  showed. 

"  Do  you  know,  colonel,"  General  Burrows  said  as 
they  were  smoking  their  cigars  after  dinner,  "  there  is 
a  wonderful  likeness  between  you  and  Lieutenant  Gale. 
I  should  have  taken  j^ou  for  father  and  son  any- 
where." 

The  other  officers  agreed  with  the  remark.  The 
likeness  was  certainly  strong.  Both  were  men  of  six 
feet  in  heiofht.  The  colonel's  hair  and  moustache  were 
grizzled,  and  his  face  bronzed  with  the  sun  of  many 
Indian  summers ;  he  was  thin  and  spare  of  habit,  but 
his  shoulders  were  broad,  and  it  was  evident  that  in 
his  j^outh  he  must  have  possessed  much  of  the  muscular 
strength  which  was  apparent  in  Will's  more  rounded 
liuibs.  But  it  was  in  their  eyes  that  there  was  the 
greatest  similarity.  Both  were  gray  and  of  nearly  the 
same  shade;  both  had  a  simple,  straightforward,  and 
kindly  expression;  both  were  shaded  by  straight  and 
rather  heavy  eyebrows.  The  men  looked  at  each 
other. 

"  I  suppose  he  is  like  me,"  Colonel  Bipon  said;  "  still 
more  like,  I  fancy,  what  I  remember  myself  at  his  age; 
but  curiously  enough  he  has  ever  since  I  met  him  been 


AYOUB    KHAN.  287 

recalling  some  one  else  to  my  mind;''  and  a  shade  passed 
over  his  face. 

Seeing  that  Colonel  Ripon  was  not  disposed  to  talk 
further  on  the  suhject  a  fresh  topic  of  conversation 
was  started.  There  was  news  that  Ayonb  Khan,  the 
brother  of  Yakoob,  who  was  governor  at  Herat,  was 
marchinof  south  at  the  head  of  a  laro-e  force  with  the 
intention  of  opposing  Abdul-Rahman  and  again  reseat- 
ing Yakoob  on  the  throne.  He  had  also  preached  a 
holy  war  against  the  British. 

"  I  fear  that  the  trouble  is  serious,"  General  Burrows 
said.  "  The  troops  Ayoub  is  bringing  with  him  have 
not  yet  met  us  in  the  field.  The  population  on  the 
road  is  wild  and  fanatical  in  the  extreme,  and  will  no 
doubt  join  him  to  a  man.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
troops  of  the  Wali  are  not  to  be  depended  upon,  and 
the  brunt  of  the  fighting  is  sure  to  fall  upon  us." 

Three  days  later  the  order  was  issued  by  General 
Primrose  that  the  G6th  Regiment,  the  Bombay  Grena- 
diers, and  Jacob's  Rifles,  together  w^ith  the  3d  Scinde 
Horse  and  3d  Bombay  Cavalry  with  a  battery  of  artil- 
lery, were  to  move  out  with  the  Wall's  army  towards 
Girishk  on  the  river  Helmund,  which  formed  the 
boundary  between  the  province  of  Candahar  and  that 
of  Herat 

After  the  long  period  of  inactivity  at  Candahar, 
Will  Avas  delighted  at  the  thought  of  taking  part  in  an 
expedition  with  his  regiment;  but  when  they  reached 
the  Helmund,  life  was  for  some  time  exceedingly  mono- 


288  ON   THE   HELMUND. 

tonous.  The  news  of  Ayoub's  advance  greatly  excited 
the  population,  who  had  been  further  worked  up  by 
agents  widely  distributed  through  the  country,  and  by 
the  exhortations  of  the  Mollahs  and  Ghazis;  conse- 
quently rambling  at  any  distance  from  the  camp  was 
forbidden,  and  the  shooting  parties,  which  had  been  one 
of  the  great  resources  of  their  life  at  Candahar,  w^ere 
peremptorily  put  an  end  to. 

Colonel  Eipon  had  accompanied  the  force  as  the 
Wall's  adviser.  Both  he  and  Will  had  recovered  com- 
pletely from  their  wounds.  When  the  regiment  first 
marched,  indeed,  the  surgeon  had  strongly  recom- 
mended Will  to  remain  behind  until  his  wound  had 
completely  healed,  but  the  young  officer  had  so  strongly 
begged  to  be  allowed  to  accompany  the  regiment  that 
the  surgeon  had  consented. 

His  colonel  had  for  a  time  relieved  him  from  all 
duty  and  he  rode  in  rear  of  the  regiment,  but  within 
a  fortnight  of  their  arrival  at  the  Helmund  he  was 
able  to  lay  aside  his  sling  and  to  take  his  turn  of  regu- 
lar duty.  The  officers  did  all  that  they  could  to  make 
existence  tolerable  on  the  sandy  shores  of  the  Helmund; 
they  got  up  foot-races  and  athletic  sports  for  the  men, 
played  cricket  on  the  sands,  and  indulged  in  a  bath 
twice  a  day  in  the  river. 

Will  often  spent  the  evening  in  Colonel  Ripon's  tent. 
A  warm  friendship  had  arisen  between  the  two  officers, 
and  each  day  seemed  to  bring  them  closer  together. 
All  this  time  Ayoub's  army  was  known  to  be  approach- 


THE   WALl'S   TROOPS.  289 

ing.  It  had  been  delayed  by  want  of  transport  and 
by  the  difficult  nature  of  the  country  over  which  it 
had  to  pass.  The  guns,  too,  of  which  it  was  reported 
to  have  a  large  number,  had  greatly  hampered  it;  but 
by  the  second  week  in  July  it  was  near  at  hand.  For 
some  time  the  Wall's  troops  had  been  showing  signs 
of  insubordination,  and  little  doubt  was  entertained 
that  they  had  been  tampered  with  by  Ayoub's  emis- 
saries. 

The  question  of  disarming  them  was  several  times 
discussed,  but  the  Wall  maintained  his  faith  that  they 
would  remain  true  to  their  salt;  and  the  British  force 
was  so  small  that  it  was  deemed  imprudent  to  take  any 
step  to  diminish  their  strength  by  dispensing  with  the 
services  of  a  strong  body  of  men  who  might  after  all 
be  faithful  at  the  critical  moment.  Moreover,  it  was 
doubtful  whether  they  would  submit,  to  be  disarmed 
by  a  force  so  inferior  to  their  own.  Should  the  attempt 
to  disarm  them  succeed  they  must  either  be  escorted 
back  to  Candahar  by  a  strong  detachment  of  the  British, 
or  be  permitted  to  disperse,  in  which  case  they  would 
assuredly  swell  the  advancing  army  of  Ayoub. 

One  day  Will  arranged  to  start  the  next  morning  at 
daybreak  for  a  day's  shooting  with  four  other  young 
officers — Hammond  and  Fortescue  of  Jacob's  Rifles, 
and  Plater  and  Lowther  of  the  Grenadiers.  The  country 
round  the  camp  had  been  already  shot  over,  so  they 
were  to  go  some  miles  out.  Will's  colonel,  in  giving 
him  leave  off  parade  for  the  day,  had  asked  him  to 

( 274 )  "  T 


290  A  HUNTING  PARTY. 

endeavour  to  ascertain  at  any  village  he  might  enter 
the  state  of  the  feeling  of  the  natives  respecting  Ayoub, 
and  their  disposition  towards  the  British,  points  on 
which  a  deplorable  ignorance  existed  in  the  camp. 

The  party  started  before  daybreak,  putting  their 
wiry  little  tats,  or  native  ponies,  into  a  gallop  so  as  to 
reach  the  spot,  eight  miles  distant,  wdiere  they  were 
to  begin  to  shoot,  as  early  as  possible,  so  as  to  get  two 
or  three  hours'  sport  before  the  heat  of  the  day  really 
set  in.  After  an  hour's  ride  they  overtook  their  ser- 
vants, Avho  had  gone  on  ahead  with  the  guns  and 
luncheon.  The  sun  was  but  just  above  the  horizon  and 
the  morning  air  was  cool  and  pleasant. 

Dismounting,  they  handed  over  the  ponies  to  the 
servants,  and  taking  the  guns  and  ammunition  set  out 
on  foot.  The  servants  were  to  go  on  with  the  ponies 
and  lunch  to  a  village  in  the  hills  four  miles  distant, 
and  to  get  tiffin  ready  by  eleven  o'clock. 

The  young  officers  set  out  on  foot,  keeping  a  short 
distance  apart.  Two  of  their  servants  accompanied 
them  to  carry  the  game,  the  other  three  went  with  the 
two  Syces  who  looked  after  the  ponies.  The  ground 
was  broken  and  stony,  and  altogether  uncultivated 
except  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  villages.  They 
had  better  sport  than  they  expected,  for  hares  darted 
out  in  numbers  from  behind  the  rocks.  Some  of  these 
were  bowled  over,  while  others  escaped,  and  there  was 
much  bantering  and  laughter  among  the  young  men, 
none  of  whom  were  first-class  shots. 


yossouf's  caution.  291 

As  the  sun  rose  hio-her  the  o-ame  became  more  scarce, 
and  by  ten  o'clock  the  party  turned  their  faces  towards 
the  village  where  they  were  to  lunch,  and  which  lay, 
they  calculated,  a  mile  or  two  away  on  their  right. 
The  sun  was  now  blazing  down  upon  them,  and  they 
were  glad  indeed  when  they  came  in  sight  of  the  vil- 
lage, which  was  not  perceived  until  they  were  close  to 
it,  as  it  lay  in  a  deep  and  rocky  valley. 

Yossouf  met  them  as  they  entered  the  village. 

"Well,  Yossouf,  where  have  you  laid  the  tiffin?" 

"  I  have  spread  it,  sahib,  on  a  level  piece  of  ground 
in  the  shade  of  the  chiefs  house.  He  did  not  seem 
disposed  to  be  civil,  and  indeed  I  thought  that  it  would 
be  more  pleasant  out  of  doors  in  the  shade  than  inside." 

"  Much  more  pleasant,  Yossouf;  and  these  forts,  as 
they  call  them,  are  generally  stuffy  places  with  small 
windows.     What  is  the  feeling  of  the  people  here?" 

"  They  are  looking  forward  to  Ayoub's  coming,  sir, 
when  they  say  a  holy  war  will  be  preached,  and  every 
man  will  rise  against  the  infidels.  When  they  found 
I  was  a  countryman  they  talked  freely  enough  before 
me,  especially  as  I  led  them  to  believe  that  I  had  been 
taken  prisoner  at  Cabul  and  forced  to  accompany  you 
as  a  sort  of  slave.  I  should  recommend  that  as  soon 
as  tiffin  is  over  you  should  start  for  the  camp,  for  I 
don't  think  it  is  quite  safe  here." 

"  They  would  never  think  of  attacking  us,  Yossouf, 
with  our  force  within  an  easy  day's  march." 

"  I  don't  know,  sir,"  Yossouf  said  doubtfully.    "  They 


292  A  TEMPTING  LUNCH. 

say  that  the  Wall's  men  are  all  with  them,  and  that 
these  alone  are  qnite  sufficient  to  eat  up  the  three 
British  regiments." 

"  They  will  find  out  their  mistake  if  they  try  it. 
However,  Yossouf,  I  will  let  the  others  know  what 
you  think." 

By  this  time  they  had  arrived  at  the  spot  where  the 
lunch  was  laid  out,  and  very  tempting  it  looked  to 
hungry  men. 

A  great  dish  of  curry  made  with  some  fowls  pur- 
chased in  the  village  was  the  principal  dish;  but  there 
were  some  fish  which  Yossouf  had  caught  in  the  Hel- 
mund  on  the  previous  day,  a  roast  of  young  kid,  and 
several  dishes  of  fresh  fruit.  A  large  vessel  of  porous 
clay  containing  the  drinking  water  stood  close  by,  and 
the  necks  of  some  bottles  of  claret  peeped  out  from  a 
tub  full  of  water,  while  a  pitcher  of  cold  tea  was  ready 
for  those  who  preferred  it.  The  young  men  set  to  with 
a  vigorous  appetite,  and  when  the  meal  was  over  pipes 
and  cigars  were  lighted,  and  they  prepared  tc;  enjoy  a 
rest  until  the  heat  of  the  day  was  past.  Will  now 
told  them  what  Yossouf  had  said. 

"  Oh,  nonsense.  Gale !"  Hammond  said.  "  Your  boy  is 
an  Afghan,  and  these  fellows  are  always  dreaming 
about  treachery.  They  are  scowling,  sulky-looking 
brutes,"  he  said,  looking  at  a  group  of  natives  who 
stood  watching  them  with  lowering  eyes,  "and  of  course 
they  hate  us  as  infidel  dogs;  but  as  to  attacking  us,  it's 
all  nonsense." 


fortescue's  confidence.  293 

"  Well,  you  know,  Hammond,  these  Ghazis  do  attack 
us  in  all  sorts  of  places,  as  I  have  found  to  my  cost, 
and  these  villages  abound  with  these  fanatics." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  Fortescue  said  lazily,  "of  course  they  do; 
but  we  have  got  our  revolvers  handy,  and  our  guns 
are  within  reach  of  our  hands.  AVe  should  make  pre- 
cious short  work  of  any  Ghazis  who  were  to  run  amuck 
among  us.  Well,  I  for  one  don't  mean  to  move  till  it 
gets  a  bit  cooler.  If  these  fellows  want  to  attack  us 
they  have  got  the  chance  now,  and  there  is  no  more 
reason  they  should  do  it  three  hours  hence  than  when 
we  are  having  our  breakfast  quietly." 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

THE   BATTLE    OF   MAIWAND. 

HE  servants  were  squatting  in  a  circle  near 
their  masters  and  enjoying  their  share  of 
the  breakfast.  The  two  Syces  were  Be- 
loochees,  the  others  were  men  from  the  Deccan,  the 
reo^iment  havino;  been  stationed  at  Poona  before  oroino^ 
up  into  Afghanistan.  Of  these  the  Syces  alone  under- 
stood the  Afghan  language. 

After  the  men  had  finished  their  meal  Yossouf 
strolled  away  by  himself  into  the  village.  When  he 
returned  Will  saw  that  he  wished  to  speak  to  him, 
so  rising  carelessly  from  the  ground  he  walked  to  the 
ponies,  which  were  tied  up  near,  and  called  Yossouf  as 
if  to  give  him  some  instructions  respecting  them. 

"  Well,  Yossouf,  what  is  it  ?  have  you  learned  any- 
thing?" 

"  No,  sir,  nothing.  But  the  people  no  longer  speak 
to  me  freely.  They  must  have  guessed  when  they 
saw  me  speaking  to  you  that  I  was  warning  you;  but 
I  don't  think  things  are  right.  The  children  are  all 
in  the  houses  instead  of  playing  about  in  the  street. 


AN    UNPLEASANT   POSITION.  295 

A  few  of  the  women  are  standing  at  their  doors,  but 
most  of  them  are  inside  too." 

"  But  if  the  men  are  thinking  of  attacking  us  why 
shouldn't  they  do  so  at  once?" 

"There  are  not  above  twenty  or  thirty  men  here, 
sahib.  They  may  not  think  they  are  strong  enough. 
Perhaps  they  have  sent  to  some  of  the  villages  for  help." 

"  Likely  enough,  Yossouf ,  I  did  not  think  of  that. 
Do  you  go  up  above  the  village  and  have  a  good  look 
round.  I  will  try  and  persuade  my  friends  to  be 
moving." 

Yossouf  moved  off  at  once,  and  Will  stood  for  a 
minute  or  two  thinking  what  was  the  best  to  do.  The 
position  was  not  pleasant.  Yossouf 's  suspicions  might 
be  altogether  unfounded,  but  Will  had  found  him  to 
be  so  uniformly  right  on  former  occasions  that  he  did 
not  like  to  neglect  his  advice  now.  After  a  little  further 
thought  he  joined  his  companions. 

"  Come,"  he  said,  "  we  had  really  better  be  moving. 
I  believe  w^e  are  in  real  danger." 

The  earnestness  with  which  he  spoke  roused  the 
others,  who  were  all  lying  at  full  length  on  the  ground. 

"But  as  we  said  before.  Gale,"  Fortescue  urged, "why 
shouldn't  they  now  attack  us  if  they  wanted  to?  We 
have  been  here  more  than  an  hour." 

"Perhaps  they  may  think  we  shall  all  take  a  nap 
after  our  tiffin,"  Will  replied;  "perhaps,  as  Yossouf 
thinks,  they  have  sent  off  to  some  other  villages  for 
assistance.     He  has  gone  up  the  hillside  to  look  out. 


296  THE   PARTY   ALARMED. 

Anyhow,  I  can  assure  3^011,  I  think  we  had  better  be 
moving." 

"  It  is  beastly  hot,"  Hammond  said,  getting  up  and 
stretching  himself;  "but  as  you  are  so  earnest  about 
it.  Gale,  perhaps  we  had  better  make  a  move.  As 
you  say  you  know  no  end  more  of  these  fellows  than 
we  do,  and  you  certainly  ain't  a  fellow  to  get  into  a 
funk  about  nothing.  Come  on,  boys,  we  had  better 
do  as  Gale  tells  us." 

"  That's  right;'  Will  said  cheerfully.  "And  look  here, 
if  we  get  away  from  here  without  any  disturbance 
and  find  it  all  rioht,  we  can  halt  aiiain  at  the  first 
shady  place  we  come  to,  and  stop  there  for  two  or 
three  hours  till  it  gets  cool." 

"Wait  a  moment,"  he  went  on,  as  Hammond  was 
about  to  order  the  ponies  to  be  saddled.  "  Just  let  us 
settle  what  we  had  best  do  should  they  attack  us, 
which,  if  they  mean  it,  they  will  do  when  they  see  we 
are  movino*  off*.  I  have  been  thinkingr  it  over.  We 
have  all  got  bullets  in  our  pockets  to  di'op  into  our 
guns  over  the  shot  in  case  of  necessity.  But  these 
smooth-bore  fowling-pieces  are  of  no  good  except  at 
close  quarters,  while  the  Afghan  matchlocks  will  carry 
straight  a  long  way;  therefore  if  we  had  to  make  a 
running  fight  of  it  we  should  get  the  worst  of  it,  for 
these  fellows  could  keep  up  with  us  easily,  besides 
there  are  the  servants;  therefore  if  a  shot  is  fired,  my 
advice  is  that  we  should  make  a  dash  at  the  chief's 
house.     Seize  that,  and  hold  it." 


PRECAUTIONARY    STEPS.  297 

"  Yes,  that  would  be  a  good  plan,"  Fortescue  said, 
for  they  were  all  sobered  now  by  AVill's  gravity,  and 
convinced  that  there  must  be  good  grounds  for  his 
belief  in  danger. 

"  Look  here.  Gale,  we  are  all  senior  to  you  in  the 
date  of  our  commissions,  but  you  have  seen  no  end  of 
service  and  adventure,  therefore  I  vote  that  you  shall 
be  commanding  oflScer  until  we  get  back  to  camp." 

The  others  willingly  agreed. 

"  Very  well,"  Will  said;  "  I  will  do  my  best.  Ham- 
mond, will  you  tell  your  servant  to  get  ready  for  a 
start  at  once.  Speak  to  him  quietly  and  carelessly. 
Then  as  the  men  move  up  more  towards  the  ponies,  tell 
them  in  Hindustanee  to  go  about  their  work  quietly, 
but  in  ,caae  of  any  trouble  with  the  Afghans  to  out 
with  their  swords  and  join  us  in  a  rush  at  the  chief's 
house." 

Hammond  carried  out  his  instructions.  The  two 
Beloochees  were  not  taken  by  surprise,  for  they  as 
well  as  Yossouf  had  been  feeling  uneasy  at  the  dis- 
appearance of  all  women  and  children  from  the  scene. 
The  other  men  looked  startled,  but  they  were  stout 
fellows,  and  as  all  the  native  servants  were  armed 
with  swords  to  enable  them  to  resist  sudden  attacks 
by  the  country  people,  and  as  they  had  unbounded 
faith  in  their  masters,  they  went  about  the  work  of 
packing  up  the  plates  and  dishes,  and  preparing  for  a 
start  quietly  enough. 

As  the  Syces  began  to  put  the  saddles  on  the  tats 


298  AFGHAN    DECEIT. 

tlie  Afghans  spoke  quickly  and  angrily  together.  Two 
or  three  minutes  later  Yossouf  arrived.  He  had  evi- 
dently been  running,  for  his  breath  came  quick,  but 
he  now  walked  forward  in  a  leisurely  way. 

"  Two  large  parties  are  coming,  master,  one  down 
the  valley  and  the  other  across  the  hills.  They  have 
got  flags  with  them,  and  I  am  sure  they  are  going  to 
attack  us." 

Just  at  this  moment  an  Afghan  lad  joined  his  seniors 
and  spoke  rapidly  to  them.  Will  judged  at  once  that 
he  also  had  been  placed  on  the  watch.  The  chief  of 
the  village,  accompanied  by  two  or  three  of  his  men 
now  stepped  forward. 

"Ask  the  sahibs,"  he  said  to  Yossouf,  "why  they  are 
in  such  a  hurry,  why  they  want  to  start  in  the  heat 
of  the  day;  they  had  better  wait  till  it  is  cooler." 

Will  did  not  wait  for  Yossouf 's  translation,  but 
answered  direct: 

"We  have  duties  at  the  camp  and  must  return  at 
once." 

The  chief  was  surprised  that  one  of  the  young 
officers  should  speak  his  tongue  so  fluently. 

"  It  looks  as  if  you  were  not  pleased  with  the  hospi- 
tality of  our  village,"  he  said,  "  that  you  should  hurry 
away  so  quickly." 

"We  are  content  with  it  so  far,  but  we  must  be  oft 
now.  Bring  up  the  ponies  quickly,"  he  said  to  Yossouf. 
"  Never  mind  those  things,  there  is  not  a  moment  to  be 
lost." 


THE   PARTY   ATTACKED.  299 

Yossouf  and  the  servants  brought  up  the  ponies. 
The  chief  laid  his  hand  on  one  of  the  bridles  and  drew 
a  pistol. 

"  Kaffir  dogs,"  he  said,  "you  shall  not  leave  us  at  all." 

Will's  hand  was  already  on  his  revolver,  and  before 
the  chief  could  level  his  pistol  he  fired  and  the  Afghan 
fell  dead. 

There  was  a  shout  of  rage  from  the  others,  and  their 
long  matchlocks  were  levelled.  It  was  well  the  party 
were  prepared,  or  all  might  have  been  shot  down  at 
once;  but  the  instant  Will  fired,  his  friends  raised  their 
double-barrelled  guns  to  their  shoulders  and  let  fly  the 
contents  among  the  Afghans,  who,  thrown  into  con- 
fusion by  the  sudden  and  unexpected  attack,  fired 
wildly,  several  of  them  dropping  from  the  efi'ects  of 
the  shot. 

"Now,"  Will  shouted, "to  the  house  everyone  of  you!" 

There  was  a  rush,  and  before  the  Afghans  knew 
what  had  happened  the  little  party  had  burst  through 
those  standing  at  the  door  of  the  house,  and  had  barred 
and  bolted  it  within.  There  were  but  two  men  inside, 
and  these  running  upstairs  leaped  from  the  windows. 
A  wild  screaming  was  heard  from  the  women  and 
children. 

"  Yossouf,  tell  these  women  that  we  don't  want  to 
hurt  them,  but  that  they  must  be  silent  and  keep  the 
children  quiet.  We  have  got  enough  to  think  about 
without  this  frightful  row  inside.  Then  when  you 
have  got  them  quiet  put  them  all  in  one  room  together 


300  FORTESCUE   KILLED. 

upstairs,  and  keep  guard  at  the  door.  See  that  none 
of  them  leave  the  room,  for  they  might  steal  down 
and  open  the  door  to  admit  their  friends  while  we  are 
busy.     What!  Fortescue,  are  you  hit?" 

"I  am  done  for!"  the  young  officer  replied  faintly; 
"one  of  their  bullets  has  gone  through  my  body;  but 
never  mind  me  now."  As  he  spoke  he  tottered,  and 
would  have  fallen  had  not  the  others  supported  him 
and  gently  laid  him  down  on  a  heap  of  skins  which 
served  as  an  Afghan  bed.  Then  leaving  his  servant  to 
attend  to  him  for  a  minute,  the  others  ran  upstairs 
to  see  what  was  going  on  without. 

"Be  careful!"  Will  exclaimed;  "don't  show  a  head 
above  the  roof  or  at  a  loophole  or  you  will  get  a  bullet 
in  your  brain  to  a  certainty.  Stand  well  back  so  that 
they  can't  see  you." 

Already  a  pattering  fire  of  musketry  had  broken  out 
round  the  house,  but  not  an  Afghan  w^as  to  be  seen, 
every  man  having  taken  his  position  in  shelter. 

"There  is  nothing  to  do  at  present,"  Will  said. 
"When  the  other  parties  arrive  they  may  make  an 
attack,  but  I  don't  think  they  will  do  so  till  night. 
Hammond,  you  had  better  go  down  to  Fortescue  at 
present.  One  of  the  Syces  can  take  Yossouf 's  place  on 
guard  over  the  women,  and  he  can  help  you.  The  lad 
is  a  good  nurse ;  but  I  fear  there  is  nothing  to  be  done 
for  the  poor  fellow." 

A  few  minutes  later  a  wild  outburst  of  shouts  and 
yells,  and  a  great  firing  of  guns,  announced  that  the 


A   GLOOMY   PROSPECT.  301 

other  parties  had  arrived,  and  the  cracking  fire  of  the 
matchlocks  around  the  fort  became  incessant. 

The  defenders  did  not  attempt  to  return  it;  it  would 
only  have  been  throwing  away  lives  uselessly  to  ap- 
proach any  of  the  loopholes.  In  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
Hammond  rejoined  his  companions. 

"He  is  gone,  poor  fellow!"  he  said;  "he  never  spoke 
again.  The  bullet  went  close  to  the  heart.  I  think 
he  has  bled  to  death  internally.  I  have  handed  his 
revolver  to  one  of  the  Syces,  and  his  gun  to  the  other. 
Your  man  Yossouf  has  a  revolver." 

"What  on  earth  are  we  to  do  now.  Gale?"  Plater 
asked.  "You  have  been  right  thus  far,  and  if  it  hadn't 
been  for  you  putting  us  up  to  make  a  rush  here  w^e 
should  have  been  done  for  lono^  asjo;  but  we  are  not 
much  better  off;  for  here  we  are  cooped  up,  and  the 
bettino;  is  a  hundred  to  one  ao^ainst  our  beino-  rescued 
in  time.  No  one  will  know  where  to  look  for  us,  and 
though  we  may  beat  them  off  two  or  three  times,  in 
the  end  it  is  likely  to  go  hard  with  us." 

"  Couldn't  we  send  a  messenger  with  the  news  of  the 
fix  we  are  in?"  Lowther  asked;  "though  I  don't  see 
how  any  one  is  to  get  through." 

"That's  what  I  have  been  thinking  about  ever  since 
I  first  planned  coming  here,"  Will  said;  "  but  I  am  sure 
no  one  could  get  through.  The  Afghans  know  the  im- 
portance of  it,  and  wdien  it  gets  dark  they  will  be  so 
thick  round  the  place  that  a  mouse  coiddn't  make  its 
way  through  them  unobserved." 


302  WILLS   PLAN. 

The  situation  was  gloomy  enough;  but  there  was 
no  lack  of  good  spirits  among  the  young  officers,  the 
danger  causing  their  blood  to  course  rapidly  through 
their  veins. 

Will  sat  on  the  floor  apart  from  the  others.  They 
had  made  him  their  commanding  officer,  and  the  re- 
sponsibility of  thinking  for  them  devolved  upon  his 
shoulders.  Suddenly  a  thought  struck  him,  and  he 
leapt  to  his  feet  with  a  shout.     "I've  got  it!" 

"You  will  get  it  if  you  don't  mind,"  Hammond  said 
dryly,  as  a  bullet  passed  through  one  of  the  loopholes 
and  struck  the  wall  an  inch  or  two  from  Will's  head. 
"But  what  is  it?" 

"  When  it  gets  quite  dusk  we  will  call  a  parley  and 
tell  them  we  don't  want  to  keep  the  women  here,  they 
are  only  in  our  way  and  eat  up  the  food,  so  we  will 
open  the  door  and  let  them  go." 

"But  what  will  you  do  that  for,  Gale?  You  were 
saying  a  short  time  ago  that  the  women  could  be  kept 
as  hostao'es." 

o 

"  So  they  might,  Hammond ;  but  it  will  be  more  useful 
to  us  to  let  them  go.  There  are  seven  women  here. 
Six  of  them  shall  go  out,  and  with  them,  in  the  clothes 
of  the  seventh,  Yossouf." 

"Capital!  capital!"  the  others  exclaimed.  "Don't 
you  think  they  will  notice  him?" 

"No,"  Will  said;  "we  won't  do  it  till  dusk,  and 
some  of  these  women  are  as  tall  as  he  is.  They  will 
hurry  them  away  as  quickly  as  possible  so  as  to  re- 


A  TRUCE   CALLED   FOR.  303 

commence  the  attack,  and  wrapped  up  as  these  Afghan 
women  are  no  one  could  see  the  difference.  Once 
fairly  away  we  can  trust  Yossouf  for  finding  an  oppor- 
tunity of  slipping  away  and  bringing  us  help." 

Will  now  laid  the  plan  before  Yossouf,  who  at  once 
agreed  to  attempt  it. 

The  day  passed  slowly,  the  fire  of  the  enemy  being 
kept  up  without  intermission. 

"Now,"  Will  said  at  last,  "it  is  o-ettinoj  dark  enouo-h, 
let  us  put  the  plan  into  operation.  In  the  first  place 
the  women  must  be  separated,  and  taken  into  separate 
rooms,  the  one  Yossouf  has  fixed  upon  as  nearest  his 
height  into  a  room  by  herself.  Then  Yossouf  must 
tell  the  old  mother  of  the  chief  that  they  are  to  be 
released,  and  that  she  must  show  herself  on  the  roof 
and  make  them  stop  firing  till  they  have  gone  out. 
While  she  is  doing  that  he  can  slip  down  and  dress 
himself  in  the  robes  of  the  woman.  She  must  be  o-acro-ed 
to  prevent  her  screaming  or  making  a  row  as  her  com- 
panions go  out." 

Greatly  surprised  was  the  old  woman  at  being  told 
that  she  was  to  be  released.  These  Kafiirs  must  be 
mad,  she  thought,  to  give  up  their  hostages.  How- 
ever, she  at  once  proceeded  to  carry  the  orders  into 
effect. 

Before  raising  her  head  above  the  roof  she  uttered 
a  loud  quavering  cry,  the  cry  of  welcome  of  the  Afghan 
women.  The  firing  without  instantly  ceased.  Again 
raising  the  cry  she  stepped   out  on  to  the  roof  and 


304  THE   WOMEN   RELEASED. 

shouted  that  the  English  did  not  want  to  keep  the 
women,  and  that  the  door  would  be  open  for  them  to 
come  out,  providing  the  Afghans  promised  that  no  at- 
tempt to  enter  should  be  made,  and  that  none  should 
move  from  their  present  places  until  the  women  had 
fairly  left. 

There  was  a  shout  of  surprise  and  satisfaction,  and 
one  of  the  chiefs  rose  to  his  feet  and  gave  the  promise 
in  the  name  of  his  companions. 

"How  many  are  there  of  you?"  he  asked. 

"  Seven,"  the  woman  answered. 

"Are  the  children  to  come?" 

"We  may  take  away  the  babies,  but  the  three  boys 
are  to  remain  behind." 

Five  minutes  later  the  door  of  the  fort  opened,  and 
seven  figures  came  out.  Not  a  shot  was  heard  until 
they  had  passed  down  the  street  of  the  village,  and 
had  entered  a  house  at  the  further  end;  then  the  rapid 
fire  commenced  ao-ain.  Twice  durino-  the  eveninof  did 
the  Afghans  attempt  to  storm  the  little  fort,  but  were 
each  time  repulsed  with  loss,  the  fire  of  the  five  double- 
barrelled  guns,  loaded  with  shot  and  bullets,  and  of 
the  revolvers,  proving  too  much  for  them.  The  second 
attack  was  made  about  eleven. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  wild  shouts  were  heard 
outside;  there  was  an  instant  cessation  of  the  enemy's 
fire,  and  then  in  the  silence  the  deep  thundering  sound 
of  galloping  horses  was  heard. 

"Hurrah!"  Will  shouted;  "liere  they  are." 


THE   PARTY   RESCUED.  305 

A  minute  later  the  Third  Bombay  Cavalry  clashed 
up  to  the  fort.  The  door  was  thrown  open  and  the 
little  garrison  ran  out. 

"  All  safe  ? "  the  officer  in  command  asked. 

"All  safe,  except  Fortescue,  who  was  killed  at  the 
first  attack," 

"So  we  heard  from  your  boy,"  the  officer  said;  "he 
has  ridden  back  with  us  as  guide.  Now,  lads,  dis- 
mount and  clear  the  village.  Shoot  every  man  you 
find,  turn  the  women  out  of  the  houses,  and  then  set 
them  on  fire.  Don't  waste  any  time  over  it,  for  the 
rascals  are  swarming  round  the  place.  Captain  Lawson, 
you  take  your  troop  and  dismount  it  as  skirmishers 
round  the  place,  and  keep  them  off  till  we  have  done 
here.  Here,  you  four  men  who  brought  the  powder 
kegs,  carry  them  inside  this  fort.  We  are  going  to 
blow  it  up  to  give  them  a  lesson." 

Ten  minutes  later  the  cavalry  were  again  in  their 
saddles.  Spare  horses  had  been  brought  for  the  four 
officers,  and  the  servants  mounted  the  tats,  which  would 
be  able  to  keep  up  with  the  cavalry.  The  flames 
were  already  bursting  out  brightly  from  the  houses. 

The  yells  of  the  Afghans  rose  high,  and  their  bullets 
flew  thickly  over  the  village,  but  they  kept  at  a  re- 
spectful distance.  The  officer  in  command  gave  the 
word  and  the  party  set  off  at  a  trot. 

Before  they  had  left  the  village  a  deep  roar  was 
heard,  and  they  knew  that  the  Afghan  fort  was  de- 
stroyed.   Two  hours  later  they  arrived  safely  in  camp, 

(274)  "         V 


306  PURSUIT   OF   THE   MUTINEERS. 

where  the  four  rescued  officers  were  warmly  con- 
gratulated on  their  narrow  escape  by  then'  friends. 

On  the  14th  of  July  the  conspiracy  among  the  Wall's 
troops  came  to  a  head.  They  openly  mutinied  and 
marched  out  with  their  cannon  and  arms  from  the 
camp.  This  was  situated  at  a  short  distance  from  that 
of  the  British,  and  Colonel  Ripon  was  the  first  to 
gallop  in  with  the  news. 

Unfortunately  the  British  commander  was  not  a 
man  endowed  with  promptness  of  decision,  and  no 
steps  were  taken  until  the  mutineers  had  proceeded  a 
considerable  distance;  then  the  cavalry  and  artillery 
were  despatched  in  pursuit.  Had  the  order  been  given 
at  once  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  Wall's  force 
would  have  been  completely  cut  up,  and  those  who 
escaped  would  have  arrived  a  mere  horde  of  fugitives, 
for  the  most  part  without  arms,  at  Ayoub's  camp. 

Late  as  was  the  pursuit  it  was  not  ineffectual.  Six 
British  guns  opened  fire  upon  the  Wall's  artillery, 
which  was  in  rear  of  the  retreating  column,  with  such 
effect  that  the  gunners  were  seized  with  a  panic,  and 
cutting  the  traces  fled  for  their  lives.  A  good  many 
were  cut  down  by  the  British  cavalry,  and  the  six  guns 
deserted  by  them  were  brought  into  camp. 

Colonel  Burrows'  little  force  now  stood  alone,  for 
he  had  with  him  but  1500  infantry,  500  cavalry,  and 
six  of  his  own  guns  besides  those  taken  from  the 
mutineers — a  force  altogether  disproportioned  to  that 
with  which  Ayoub  was  advancing,  swelled  as  it  was 


THE   ENEMY   AT   HAND.  307 

by  the  accession  of  the  Wall's  army.  A  message  was 
sent  to  General  Primrose  at  Candahar  asking  for  re- 
inforcements;  but  that  officer,  althouo'h  he  had  a  con- 
siderable  force  at  his  disposal,  declined  to  despatch 
any  reinforcements  whatever.  News  now  arrived  that 
Ayoub,  instead  of  marching  direct  upon  Girishk,  had 
crossed  the  Helmund  higher  up  and  was  moving  across 
the  country  by  a  line  parallel  with  the  road  from  Can- 
dahar to  Girishk.  By  this  movement  he  would  have 
the  option  of  placing  himself  either  between  Colonel 
Burrows'  force  and  Candahar,  of  marching  direct  upon 
the  latter  city,  or  of  keeping  to  the  north  and  coming- 
down  upon  the  road  between  Candahar  and  Shahpur, 
and  then  marchinof  direct  for  Cabul.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances  General  Burrows  determined  to  fall  back 
at  once  to  a  spot  where  he  might  oppose  Ayoub's  ad- 
vancing force.  Accordingly  the  brigade  marched  from 
the  Helmund  to  a  village  called  Khusk-I-Nakhud  and 
there  encamped.  General  Nuttal  with  the  cavalry 
made  reconnaissances  in  the  direction  of  the  enemy. 

The  people  of  the  country  held  altogether  aloof,  and  no 
accurate  information  was  obtained  as  to  the  strength  of 
Ayoub's  army,  which  was  believed  by  General  Burrows 
to  be  very  much  smaller  than  it  really  was.  Early  in  the 
morning  of  the  26th  it  was  known  that  ilyoub  was  march- 
ing upon  Maiwand,  a  village  farther  to  the  north,  and 
at  half-past  six  the  troops  moved  out  to  intercept  him. 

It  was  at  this  time  believed  that  it  was  only  the 
enemy's  cavalry  with  whon:i  we  should  have  to  deal. 


308  ayoub's  advance. 

Upon  arriving  near  Maiwand,  however,  news  was 
brought  in  by  spies  that  the  whole  of  the  enemy  were 
at  hand.  The  force  was  at  once  halted  in  a  position 
singularly  ill  adapted  for  a  fighting  ground.  Deep 
ravines  ran  both  to  the  right  and  to  the  left  of  the 
ground  occupied  by  the  British.  By  these  the  enemy 
could  advance  under  shelter  until  within  a  short  dis- 
tance. On  either  side  were  ranges  of  hills  completely 
commanding  the  position. 

It  is  difficult  to  imagine  a  more  unsuitable  position 
than  that  which  General  Burrows  prepared  to  hold 
with  a  mere  handful  of  troops  against  an  enormously 
superior  force.  What  was  the  total  strength  of  Ayoub's 
army  was  never  exactly  known,  as  it  was  swollen  by 
enormous  numbers  of  Ghazis  and  tribesmen  from  the 
villages.  These  were  in  fact  far  more  formidable  oppo- 
nents than  the  regular  Afghan  troops,  as  their  tre- 
mendous rushes,  and  indifference  to  the  loss  inflicted 
upon  them,  were  trying  in  the  extreme  for  even  the 
best-trained  troops  to  withstand. 

The  morning  was  thick  and  but  little  could  be  seen 
of  Ayoub's  army.  His  cavalry,  indeed,  were  found  to 
be  movino*  about  in  laro-e  masses,  but  these  fell  back 
at  our  advance.  Lieutenant  Maclean,  with  two  horse- 
artillery  guns  and  a  small  cavalry  escort,  galloped  out 
on  the  extreme  left  and  opened  fire  on  the  Afghan 
cavalry.  His  infantry  at  once  appeared  in  force 
swarming  down  towards  the  guns,  and  these  were 
withdrawn  to  a  position  nearer  to  our  line. 


AN   OVERWHELMING   ATTACK.  309 

The  British  infantry  were  formed  in  the  following 
order: — The  66th  were  on  the  right,  the  Bombay  Grena- 
diers in  the  centre,  and  Jacob's  Rifles  on  the  left.  Two 
guns  were  placed  in  position  to  support  the  66th  on 
the  right;  the  remaining  four  British  guns,  and  the 
six  smooth-bore  guns  captured  from  the  Wall's  mu- 
tineers, were  placed  between  the  Grenadiers  and 
Jacob's  Rifles.  The  3d  Scinde  Horse  and  3d  Bombay 
Light  Cavalry  were  formed  in  the  rear  of  the  line. 

As  the  enemy  advanced,  our  guns  opened  a  heavy 
fire  upon  them,  but  it  was  fully  an  hour  before  their 
artillery  replied.  Then  thirty  guns  were  unmasked 
and  opened  fire  upon  the  British  line.  Under  cover 
of  this  heavy  fire  swarms  of  the  enemy's  irregulars 
advanced  towards  our  position.  When  within  600  or 
700  yards  of  the  66th  the  British  opened  with  their 
Martini  rifles,  and  the  shower  of  lead  at  such  an  unex- 
pected distance  checked  the  advance  of  the  enemy. 

For  some  time  the  artillery  duel  continued,  but  the 
enemy's  guns  were  then  moved  on  to  the  hills  on  either 
side  of  the  British  position  and  a  terrible  cross-fire  was 
opened  from  both  flanks.  At  about  two  o'clock  the 
smooth-bore  guns  began  to  get  short  of  ammunition. 
Only  sixty  rounds  had  been  captured  with  them,  and 
there  being  no  reserve  of  ammunition  fitting  them 
they  ceased  fire.  The  position  now  became  most  seri- 
ous. From  the  ravines  on  either  side  the  Ghazis 
swarmed  up  in  vast  numbers.  The  artillery  thundered 
from  the  heights  upon  our  troops.     Some  of  their  bat- 


310  THE  RUSH  OF  THE  GHAZIS. 

teries  were  brought  up  to  within  very  short  distances, 
and  great  numbers  of  the  enemy,  keeping  along  the 
ravines  sheltered  from  our  lire,  came  up  in  the  rear 
and  seized  the  villages  there.  The  companies  of  Jacob's 
Rifles  on  the  left,  after  resisting  for  some  time  the 
furious  attacks  of  the  Ghazis,  began  to  waver.  The 
enemy's  cavalry  swept  down  in  heavy  masses,  Avhile 
our  cavalry,  for  some  reason  which  has  never  been 
explained,  remained  inactive.  The  general  has  stated 
that  he  ordered  them  to  charge,  but  that  they  would 
not  do  so;  the  cavalry  affirm  that  they  never  received 
orders.  Anyhow,  at  this  critical  moment  the  3d  Scinde 
Horse  and  the  3d  Bombay  Cavalry  remained  inactive. 
The  confusion  amid  Jacob's  Rifles  rapidly  grew  in  spite 
of  the  efforts  of  the  officers  to  rally  them.  The  Ghazis 
swept  down  upon  them  and  the  Rifles  bi'oke  in  con- 
fusion and  rushed  among  the  Bombay  Grenadiers,  who, 
hitherto  fighting  steadily,  also  fell  into  confusion,  as 
the  Rifles  and  Ghazis  burst  into  their  ranks. 

"This  is  hot  work,"  Will  Gale  said  to  his  captain 
when  the  enemy's  guns  on  the  heights  on  either  side 
began  to  play  on  the  line  of  the  G6th  with  their  flank  fire. 

"  It  is,  indeed,"  the  officer  answered, "  and  the  fire  of 
the  enemy  from  the  edge  of  that  ravine  is  very  trying. 
I  wish  to  heaven  the  general  would  move  us  farther 
back;  he  has  made  a  hideous  mistake  in  fighting  on 
such  ground  as  this." 

"  It  would  be  difficult  to  withdraw  now,"  Will  said. 
"  It  would  shake  the  confidence  of  the  men.     I  think 


A   BAD   LOOK-OUT.  311 

myself  that  we  ought  to  advance  and  drive  the  enemy 
before  us  till  we  take  up  some  really  defensible  posi- 
tion; but  I  doubt  if  the  Afghans  would  wait  for  that. 
In  all  our  history  a  British  charge  against  an  Indian 
enemy  has  always  been  successful,  no  matter  how  great 
the  odds." 

"  It  is  a  bad  look-out/'  the  captain  said  as  a  shell 
burst  close  by  him,  killing  and  wounding  five  or  six 
men.  "  It  is  quite  evident  that  if  we  stay  where  we 
are  we  must  in  time  be  annihilated.  Our  fellows  will 
stand,  no  doubt;  they  are  English  soldiers  and  well 
officered.  But  how  can  one  expect  the  two  Indian 
regiments,  with  only  three  or  four  white  officers  each,  to 
remain  steady  under  such  a  fire  as  this  and  with  these 
desperate  charges  of  Ghazis  upon  them?" 

Very  steadily  the  66th  held  their  ground  in  spite  of 
a  flanking  fire  of  artillery  and  musketry.  Every  time 
the  enemy  gathered  at  the  edge  of  the  ravine  for  a 
rush  the  heavy  fire  of  the  company  on  the  flank,  which 
was  wheeled  back  at  a  rioht  ano-le  to  the  line  so  as  to 
face  them,  drove  them  back  to  shelter  again.  The 
regiment  had  suffered  very  heavily,  still  the  officers 
felt  that  they  could  endure  till  nightfall.  Of  victory 
there  was  now  no  idea;  for  to  conquer,  men  must  act, 
and  here  they  were  only  called  upon  to  suffer.  Pre- 
sently a  wild  tumult  was  heard  to  the  left,  and  then 
the  men  of  the  scattered  native  regiments  burst  in  a 
tumultuous  mass  into  the  ranks  of  the  66th. 

"Steady,  men,  steady!"  shouted  the  officers. 


312  A   TERRIBLE   SLAUGHTER. 

But  it  was  of  no  avail.  All  was  in  hopeless  confu- 
sion. The  artillery  fired  until  the  Ghazis  were  within 
a  few  yards  of  them ;  then  they  hastily  limbered  up 
and  fell  back.  But  the  Ghazis  were  too  close  at  hand, 
and  two  of  the  guns  were  lost.  Even  now  had  the 
cavalry  charged  upon  the  Afghans  time  would  have 
been  given  to  the  broken  infantry  to  form  again  into 
a  solid  mass  and  to  draw  off  from  the  field  in  good 
order.  But  the  cavalry  remained  inactive.  Both  these 
regiments  had  a  record  of  good  service  in  the  field,  but 
their  conduct  on  this  occasion  was  little  short  of  dis- 
graceful. Among  the  infantry  all  order  was  lost,  and, 
mixed  up  in  a  confused  mass  hemmed  in  on  all  sides 
by  the  enemy,  they  fell  back,  each  man  fighting  for 
himself,  upon  the  village  behind.  Here  in  the  walled 
enclosures  the  G  6th  and  the  Grenadiers  rallied  and  fought 
nobly.  Each  house  was  used  as  a  fortress  and  only 
carried  after  a  desperate  struggle.  Here  Colonel  Gal- 
braith  and  nine  other  officers  of  the  66th  were  killed, 
and  the  greater  portion  of  the  regiment  shared  their 
fate. 

Some  bodies  of  the  troops  entirely  cut  ofi"  from  the 
rest  in  their  retreat  stood  their  ground  in  the  open  and 
fought  desperately  to  the  end,  surrounding  themselves 
ere  they  died  with  a  ring  of  slaughtered  enemies.  So 
desperate  was  the  defence  in  some  cases  that,  outnum- 
bering them  fifty  to  one,  the  enemy  never  dared  to 
come  to  close  quarters  with  the  gallant  band,  which 
kept  up  a  rain  of  fire  on  them  till  the  last  man  had 


THE   RETREAT.  313 

fallen.  So  long  and  stoutly  was  the  village  defended 
that  the  great  majority  of  the  broken  fugitives  had 
time  to  pass  out  behind.  General  Burrows,  who  had 
done  his  best  to  stem  the  rout,  drew  off  the  shattered 
remains  and  fell  back  with  them  in  fair  order. 

Will  Gale's  company  was  in  the  right  flank  of  the 
regiment,  and  therefore  farthest  from  the  point  where 
the  line  was  broken  by  the  rush  of  the  native  troops. 
Seeing  what  was  taking  place  the  captain  formed  his 
men  into  company  square  and  fell  back  to  the  village 
in  fair  order.  The  company  then  threw  itself  into  a 
house  with  a  walled  garden  to  the  right  of  the  village, 
and  its  steady  fire  in  no  slight  degree  helped  to  keep 
back  the  Afghans  and  cover  the  retreat.  This  they 
did  until  General  Burrows  himself  rode  up  and  ordered 
them  to  fall  in. 

"  Your  company  has  done  good  service,  sir,"  he  said 
to  Captain  Fletcher,  "  and  it  is  for  you  now  to  cover 
the  retreat." 

Slowly  and  in  good  order  the  company  fell  back, 
and  joining  the  troops  who  still  retained  their  forma- 
tion retired  slowly,  facing  about  and  pouring  volley 
after  volley  into  the  Afghans  as  they  came  out  through 
the  village.  For  two  miles  the  enemy  pressed  closely 
upon  them;  but  their  loss  had  already  been  immense 
and  all  desired  to  join  in  the  plundering  of  the  British 
camp,  therefore  the  pursuit  slackened,  and  three  miles 
from  the  village  the  rear-guard  were  ordered  to  the 
main  body  at  quick  march. 


CHAPTER   XX. 


CANDAHAPt. 


HANK  God  that  is  over/'  Captain  Fletcher 
said  as  he  lifted  his  cap  and  wiped  the  per- 
spiration   from    his    forehead,   "  but    the 
reo'iment  is  almost  annihilated." 

o 

"  I  fear  the  worst  is  yet  to  come,"  Will  said.  "  We 
are  fifty  miles  from  Candahar,  and  when  we  came  out 
we  had  to  carry  water  with  us,  for  there  was  none  to 
be  found  on  the  way.  We  have  a  fearful  march  before 
us.  What  on  earth  has  become  of  the  cavalry?  They 
have  done  nothing  to  cover  the  retreat." 

"  They  have  ridden  on  ahead,"  the  captain  said  bit- 
terly, "without  having  drawn  a  sword  in  this  day's 
fiu'ht,  and  will  ride  into  Candahar  to-morrow  mornino' 
without  losino'  a  man,  save  the  few  who  were  knocked 
over  by  the  artillery." 

Presently  an  officer  rode  up. 

"Ah!  Gale,"  he  exclaimed,  "thank  God  you  are  safe. 
I  rode  back  to  see."  And  Colonel  RijDon  shook  hands 
warmly  with  the  young  officer. 


THE   REAR-GUARD.  315 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  that  you  are  safe,  sir,"  AVill 
answered.     "  This  has  been  a  terrible  day." 

"  It  has,  indeed,"  the  colonel  said  mournfully,  "  ter- 
rible! There  has  been  nothing  like  it  since  the  retreat 
from  Cabul  in  1848.  And  how  many  of  these  poor 
fellows  will  reach  Candahar  God  only  know^s!  The 
water-bottles  were  emptied  hours  ago.  The  men  are 
already  exhausted  with  the  long  day's  work  and 
parched  with  thirst,  and  we  have  fifty  miles'  tramp  be- 
fore us.    Have  you  any  w^ounded  men  here  with  you?" 

"  Several,  sir,  some  of  them  badly  hurt." 

"  Put  one  of  the  worst  on  my  horse,"  Colonel  Ripon 
said,  dismounting;  "and  push  on  briskly,  lads.  There 
are  some  carts  ahead.  We  will  turn  out  the  stores 
and  put  the  wounded  in.  You  had  better  let  the  men 
throw  away  their  knapsacks  and  all  useless  encum- 
brances," he  said  to  Captain  Fletcher.  "  You  will  have 
to  march  and  perhaps  fight  all  night,  and  must  husband 
your  strength." 

Steadily  the  rear-guard  followed  the  broken  column. 
It  consisted  of  men  of  the  66th  and  Grenadiers 
mingled  together,  and  well  did  they  carry  out  their 
arduous  duties.  A  portion  were  thrown  out  on  each 
flank,  while  the  rest  kept  to  the  road.  This  was 
strewn  with  arms  and  accoutrements  of  all  kinds. 
The  men's  hearts  were  wrung  to  the  core  by  the  sight  of 
the  number  of  wounded  who  had  dropped  by  the  road- 
side, and  who  implored  them  as  they  passed  not  to  leave 
them  to  be  murdered  by  the  enemy.     Many  of  them 


316  THIRST. 

were  lifted  and  placed  in  carts,  everything  else  being 
turned  out  to  make  way  for  them,  but  many  had  to 
be  left  behind,  for  it  would  be  impossible  to  carry 
them  on  such  a  march.  Slowly  the  long  night  passed. 
All  along  the  line  ahead  a  scattered  fire  of  musketry 
could  be  heard  as  the  villao-ers  shot  down  the  fugitives 
who  in  hopes  of  finding  water  straggled  from  the  road. 
Sometimes  sharp  volleys  rang  out  as  the  troops  stood 
at  bay  and  drove  back  the  natives  when  they  pressed 
upon  them.  Several  times  the  rear-guard  were  hotly 
engaged  as  the  Afghans,  furious  at  seeing  their  prey 
slipping  from  their  fingers,  mustered  and  fell  upon 
them ;  but  each  time  they  were  repulsed  and  the  column 
held  on  its  way.  Will  was  in  command  of  a  mixed 
band  of  some  forty  men  which  moved  to  the  right  of 
the  road.  Colonel  Ripon  kept  by  his  side,  but  few 
words  were  spoken  through  the  long  night. 

The  men  were  half  mad  with  thirst,  and  had  there 
been  water  near  nothing  could  have  restrained  them 
from  rushing  to  it;  but  they  knew  that  none  could  be 
obtained  until  they  reached  Candahar.  Many,  in  utter 
despair  at  the  distance  before  them,  threw  themselves 
down  on  the  ground  to  die.  But  the  others  kept  on, 
stumbling  and  staggering  as  they  marched  stupid  and 
half-blind,  rallying  only  when  the  order  came  to  turn 
and  repulse  the  enemy. 

Two  or  three  times  in  the  night  the  rear-guard  halted 
for  a  few  minutes  and  the  men  threw  themselves  down 
on  the  sand,  where  they  picked  the  scattered  herbage 


A   HALT.  317 

within  their  reach  and  chewed  it  to  quench  their 
burning  thirst.  Daylight  was  a  welcome  relief.  They 
knew  indeed  that  with  the  rising  of  the  sun  their  tor- 
ments would  grow  still  greater;  but  the  change  from 
the  long  dreary  darkness  cheered  them,  and  they  could 
now  see  from  the  nature  of  the  country  that  they  were 
within  fifteen  miles  of  Candahar.  They  marched  on 
for  two  more  hours,  and  then  the  officer  in  command 
of  the  little  body  saw  that  they  could  do  no  more. 

He  therefore  led  them  to  a  village  on  rising  ground 
a  short  distance  from  the  road  and  halted  them  there. 
The  exhausted  men  threw  themselves  down  in  the 
shade  of  the  houses.  They  had  the  long  day  yet  to 
pass  and  their  thirst  seemed  unendurable;  still  the  halt 
was  \velcome,  for  there  was  not  a  man  but  felt  that 
his  strength  was  at  an  end  and  that  it  would  have 
been  an  impossibility  to  reach  the  city. 

Captain  Fletcher  picked  out  a  few  of  the  least  ex- 
hausted men  and  placed  them  in  the  outskirts  of  the 
village  to  call  the  rest  to  arms  in  case  the  Afghans, 
numbers  of  whom  were  hovering  round,  should  venture 
upon  an  attack.  For  the  first  hour  after  reaching  the 
village  not  a  man  moved  from  the  spot  where  he  had 
thrown  himself  down.  The  officers  had  searched  the 
houses  and  found  some  jars  of  water.  These  they  carried 
round  and  doled  out  a  few  mouthfuls  to  each  man. 
Small  thouofh  the  amount  was,  the  relief  afforded  was 
immense;  and  as  soon  as  their  first  exhaustion  had 
subsided  the  men  scattered  through  the  gardens  pluck- 


318  A   WELCOME   RELIEF. 

ing  the  vine  leaves  and  chewing  them,  and  fortunately 
discovering  a  few  gourds,  which  were  cut  up  into  small 
fragments  and  divided. 

The  day  wore  on,  and  at  one  o'clock  there  was  a 
shout  of  joy,  for  a  body  of  cavalry  were  seen  approach- 
ing at  a  rapid  trot  from  the  town.  Soon  they  rode  up, 
and  proved  to  be  a  regiment  which  had  been  despatched 
from  the  town  for  the  relief  of  the  stragglers.  At  day- 
break the  cavalry,  riding  in  many  miles  ahead  of  the 
infantry,  brought  the  news  to  the  city  of  the  defeat, 
and  something  very  like  a  panic  at  first  ensued. 

It  was  some  time  before  anything  was  done  to  suc- 
cour the  exhausted  fugitives  who  were  pressing  for- 
ward to  the  city.  But  at  last  a  force  was  sent  out 
with  wao'cvons  and  bullocks  with  water-skins,  and  thus 
hundreds  of  lives  which  would  otherwise  have  been 
sacrificed  were  saved.  The  cavalry  had  come  out  with 
full  water-bottles,  and  relief  was  soon  afforded  to  the 
worn-out  rear-guard,  who  at  once  fell  into  rank  and 
resumed  their  march  towards  Candahar,  the  cavalry, 
who  had  brought  a  few  light  carts  with  them,  pursuing 
their  journey  for  some  distance  further  to  succour  and 
collect  those  who  had  fallen  on  the  road. 

The  sun  was  just  setting  as  the  rear -guard  of 
General  Burrows'  brigade  reached  Candahar,  after 
having  marched  since  the  previous  morning  sixty 
miles  without  food,  and  with  only  a  few  mouthfuls  of 
water,  and  having  fought  for  nearly  twenty-four  hours 
of  that  time.     Every  preparation  was  made  in  the  city 


YOSSOUF  REJOINS   HIS   PIASTER.  319 

for  the  expected  attack.  The  defences  were  streng- 
thened; the  lower  portion  of  the  populace,  who  would  be 
likely  to  declare  against  them,  were  turned  out  of  the 
town,  and  provisions  were  collected  from  the  country 
round.  Fortunately  ample  time  was  afforded  them  for 
these  preparations.  Ayoub's  army  had  been  to  a  great 
extent  demoralized  by  the  tremendous  losses  which  it 
had  sustained  in  the  defeat  of  this  handful  of  British 
troops,  and  some  days  elapsed  before  it  moved  forward 
from  Maiwand.  Then  by  easy  marches  it  approached 
Candahar,  and  took  up  its  position  in  the  plain  to  the 
north  of  the  city. 

Just  as  the  rear-guard  of  General  Burrows'  force 
were  starting  from  their  halting-place  for  their  last 
march  into  the  city,  Will  Gale  was  delighted  at  see- 
ing Yossouf  approaching.  He  had  not  seen  him  since 
the  regiment  marched  out  from  Kusk-I-Nakhud. 
The  young  Afghan  had  remained  with  the  other  fol- 
lowers in  the  villag^e  behind  Maiwand  durino^  the 
battle,  when,  while  the  resistance  of  the  British  was  still 
continuing,  the  Afghans  had  worked  round  by  the 
ravines  and  entered  the  village. 

Yossouf  had  been  obliged  to  join  in  the  retreat, 
which  was  at  once  commenced  by  the  baggage  train. 
Full  of  anxiety  for  the  fate  of  his  master,  he  had  hur- 
ried forward  at  his  best  speed  to  Candahar,  reaching 
the  city  only  an  hour  or  two  after  the  arrival  of  the 
cavalry.  In  spite  of  the  distance  he  had  already  per- 
formed he  did  not  delay  for  an  instant,  but  set  out 


320  THE   NEWS   BEACHES   INDIA. 

again  with  some  provisions,  and  a  bottle  o£  wine  and 
one  o£  water  hidden  away  in  his  dress.  He  had  re- 
solved to  push  forward  at  all  hazards  until  he  had 
either  joined  his  master,  whether  on  his  retreat  or  as 
a  prisoner  in  Ayoub's  army,  or  had  discovered  his  body 
on  the  field  of  battle,  and  given  him  burial. 

Passing  through  the  throng  of  fugitives,  and  ques- 
tioning any  of  the  men  of  the  G6th  he  met,  he  made 
his  way  forward.  He  had  learned  that  Will's  company 
had  withdrawn  in  a  body  from  the  battle-field  to  the 
village,  but  further  than  this  none  of  the  fugitives 
could  tell  him;  and  his  delight  was  exuberant  when  he 
saw  Will  marching  along  with  his  company. 

The  little  supply  which  he  had  brought  was  at  once 
served  out  among  the  men  who  most  needed  it,  and 
Will,  who  had  been  in  a  state  of  great  uneasiness  con- 
cerning the  safety  of  his  faithful  follower,  was  greatly 
cheered  by  finding  him  alive  and  unhurt. 

The  news  of  the  defeat  of  Maiwand  produced  an 
immense  sensation  in  India,  and  measures  were  at 
once  taken  for  the  relief  of  Candahar.  A  stronof 
division  was  ordered  to  march  from  Cabul  through 
Ghuzni,  while  General  Phayre,  who  commanded  the 
force  at  Quettah,  was  also  ordered  to  advance  to  the 
assistance  of  the  garrison.  General  Phayre,  however, 
although  comparatively  close  to  Candahar,  was  unable 
to  advance  for  some  time.  The  same  miserable  economy 
which  had  dispersed  the  transport  train  after  the  signa- 
ture of  the  Treaty  of  Gundamuk,  and  had  so  delayed 


CANDAHAR  BLOCKADED.  321 

the  advance  of  General  Roberts  towards  Cabul  after 
the  massacre  of  the  mission,  again  paralysed  the 
action  of  the  British  troops,  the  whole  of  the  transport 
train,  collected  at  so  much  cost  and  difficulty,  having 
been  dismissed  to  their  homes  as  soon  as  the  negotia- 
tions with  Abdul-Rahman  held  out  a  prospect  of 
peace. 

Many  weeks  elapsed  before  a  sufficient  number  of 
baggage  animals  could  be  collected  to  enable  General 
Phayre  to  advance  with  his  relieving  column.  In  Can- 
dahar  things  passed  quietly.  The  enemy  from  time  to 
time  fired  shot  and  shell  into  the  city  from  distant 
positions;  but  believing  that  no  relief  could  reach  the 
garrison  before  the  supplies  of  food  were  exhausted,  and 
that  it  must  therefore  yield  to  hunger,  Ayoub's  army 
contented  themselves  by  watching  the  city  from  a  dis- 
tance, and  by  keeping  a  cordon  of  troops  round  its 
walls  to  prevent  the  country  people  from  bringing  in 
provisions. 

Detached  bodies,  indeed,  often  crept  up  near  the 
walls  and  kept  up  a  musketry  fire  at  any  troops  show- 
ing themselves  there.  But  no  attempts  were  made  to 
batter  down  the  walls  or  to  make  anything  like  a 
resolute  assault.  Ayoub's  army  had  indeed  greatly 
lost  heart.  If  1500  British  soldiers  attacked  under 
circumstances  of  the  crreatest  disadvantage,  had  killed 
COOO  or  7000  of  their  assailants,  what  might  not  be 
the  slaughter  which  a  greatly  superior  force  would 
inflict  when  sheltered  behind  stone  walls? 

( 274 )  X 


322  GENERAL   ROBERTS'    COLUMN. 

From  one  village,  situate  half  a  mile  from  the  eastern 
gate  of  the  city,  so  constant  and  harassing  a  fire  was 
maintained  by  the  enemy  that  General  Primrose  re- 
solved to  make  a  sortie  to  capture  it.  The  affair  was, 
however,  badly  planned,  and  resulted  in  failure.  The 
Afghans,  sheltered  in  the  strongly-built  houses,  kept 
up  so  severe  a  fire  upon  the  assailants  that  these  were 
obliged  to  fall  back  with  a  considerable  loss. 

After  that  no  further  sorties  were  attempted,  and 
the  city  remained  in  quiet  until  the  relieving  columns 
were  close  at  hand. 

The  force  selected  to  march  from  Cabul  to  the  relief 
of  Candahar  under  the  command  of  General  Roberts 
consisted  of  the  92d  Highlanders,  2od  Pioneers,  24th 
and  25th  Punjaub  Infantry,  the  2d,  4th,  and  5th 
Ghoorkas,  the  72d  Highlanders,  2d  battalion  of  the 
60th,  the  Norfolk  Rangers,  the  2d,  3d,  and  15th 
Sikhs.  There  were  three  batteries  of  artillery  and 
four  cavalry  regiments,  the  9th  Lancers,  the  3d 
Bengal  Cavalry,  the  3d  Punjaub  Cavalry,  and  the 
Central  India  Horse.  This  gave  a  total  of  about 
10,000  fio-htino'  men.  There  were,  in  addition,  8000 
followers  to  feed,  7000  horses,  and  some  8000  transport 
and  artillery  mules  and  ponies. 

The  Ameer  did  his  best  to  assist  the  force,  which 
was  indeed  going  to  fight  his  battle  as  well  as  their 
own.  The  question  was  whether  so  large  a  force 
would  be  able  to  subsist  on  the  road,  and  in  order  to 
assist  them  to  do  so  he  sent  orders  to  all  the  tribes  alon^: 


FROM  CABUL  TO  CANDAHAR.  323 

the  line  of  march  to  aid  the  column  in  every  way. 
In  consequence,  no  difficulties  were  met  with,  and 
scarce  a  shot  was  fired  on  the  way  down.  In  seven 
days  after  starting  Ghuzni  was  reached,  and  in  fifteen 
Khelat-I-Ghilzai,  where  Colonel  Tanner  with  a  small 
garrison  had  been  besieged  by  the  local  tribes  since  the 
advance  of  Ayoub.  Khelat-I-Ghilzai  stood  near  the 
lower  end  of  the  valley  down  which  the  column  was 
advancing,  and  was  but  three  days'  march  from 
Candahar. 

From  the  day  of  their  leaving  Cabul  to  their  arrival 
at  Khelat-I-Ghilzai  the  troops  had  marched  a  distance 
of  fifteen  miles  a  day — not  an  extraordinary  distance 
for  a  single  regiment  to  perform,  but  a  wonderful  feat 
for  a  force  containing  some  18,000  persons  and  9000 
bao-aaofe  animals  marchino-  throucvh  mountains  and 
valleys.  As  the  relieving  force  approached  Candahar 
Ayoub  drew  off  his  troops  from  around  the  city,  and 
took  up  a  strong  position  on  some  hills  a  few  miles  to 
the  north.  On  the  27th  of  August  Roberts'  cavalry 
were  near  enough  to  establish  heliographic  communi- 
cation with  the  town,  and  on  the  31st  the  column 
entered  Candahar. 

During  the  siege  the  duties  of  the  garrison  had  been 
heavy.  A  strong  force  was  always  held  ready  to  get 
under  arms  instantly  in  case  of  an  attack  by  the  enemy. 
The  number  of  sentries  on  the  walls,  magazines,  and 
lower  important  points  was  large.  The  town  had  to 
be  kept  in  order  and  the  inhabitants  strictly  watched. 


324  THE   BESIEGED    CITY. 

House-to-house  requisitions  were  made  for  provisions, 
and  the  greatest  economy  was  used  in  the  distribution 
of  these,  as  the  garrison  had  no  means  of  knowing  how 
long  a  time  might  elapse  before  any  could  arrive. 
The  death  of  ten  officers  of  the  66th,  all  of  senior 
standing  to  himself,  had  placed  Will  Gale  at  the  top 
of  the  list  of  lieutenants,  and  as  several  officers  were 
disabled  by  wounds  he  was  now  performing  captain's 
duty,  and  was  in  charge  of  a  company.  There  were, 
indeed,  but  three  companies  now  in  the  66th  Regiment, 
so  great  having  been  the  loss  that  the  whole  of  the 
survivors  now  made  up  but  this  number. 

Among  the  other  duties  of  the  troops  was  that  of 
protecting  the  many  houses  which  had  been  left  vacant 
by  the  hasty  retirement  of  many  of  the  native  mer- 
chants and  traders  at  the  approach  of  Ayoub's  force. 
Colonel  Primrose,  anxious  to  lessen  the  number  of 
mouths  to  be  fed,  encouraged  the  exodus,  promising  to 
take  charge  of  all  property  left  behind.  This  duty 
proved  a  troublesome  one,  as  the  lower  class,  which  still 
remained  in  the  city,  were  constantly  endeavouring  to 
break  into  and  loot  the  houses  thus  left  vacant  by  their 
proprietors.  In  order  to  protect  these  as  much  as  pos- 
sible many  of  the  officers  were  directed  to  move  from 
their  quarters  in  the  barracks  and  take  up  their  resi- 
dence in  them,  an  order  which  was  gladly  obeyed,  as 
the  exchange  from  hot  confined  quarters  to  the  roomy 
dwellings  of  the  merchants  was  a  very  pleasant  one. 
Will  Gale  was  one  of  those  who  so  moved,  and  with 


AFGHAN   THIEVES.  325 

Yossouf  and  two  native  followers  had  been  quartered 
in  the  house  of  a  wealthy  silk  merchant. 

One  night  he  was  aroused  from  sleep  by  Yossouf. 

"Sahib!"  the  latter  whispered,  "I  hear  people  moving 
below,     I  think  there  are  thieves  in  the  house." 

Will  rose  noiselessly,  slipped  on  his  trousers  and 
shoes,  and  taking  up  a  revolver  in  one  hand  and  a 
sword  in  another  stole  down-stairs,  followed  by  Yos- 
souf with  his  lono^  Afghan  knife  in  his  hand  The  door 
of  the  warehouse  was  open,  and  within  it  Will  saw,  by 
the  faint  light  of  a  lamp  which  one  of  them  carried, 
four  Afghan  ruffians  engaged  in  making  up  silks 
into  large  bundles  in  readiness  to  carry  off.  His  ap- 
proach was  unnoticed,  and  on  reaching  the  door  he 
levelled  his  pistol  and  shouted  to  the  Afghans  to  sur- 
render as  his  prisoners.  In  reply  they  dropped  the 
lamp,  and  made  a  sudden  rush  at  him.  He  fired  his 
pistol  hastily  in  the  darkness,  but  in  an  instant  the 
Afghans  were  upon  him.  The  first  man  he  cut  down, 
but  he  was  knocked  over  by  the  rush  of  the  others. 
Two  fell  upon  him,  but  Yossouf  bounded  upon  them 
like  a  tiger  and  buried  his  knife  to  the  hilt  in  their 
backs  in  quick  succession.  The  last  of  the  party, 
without  staying  to  see  what  was  the  fate  of  his  friends, 
at  once  took  to  his  heels,  and  rushing  to  the  door  lead- 
ing to  the  street  made  his  escape.  Yossouf  raised  Will 
to  his  feet, 

"Are  you  hurt?"  he  asked  anxiously. 

"  Nothing  to  speak  of,"  Will  replied.     ''  I  am  a  bit 


326  A   NARROW   ESCAPE. 

shaken  and  bruised  by  the  fall.  Those  fellows  in  the 
darkness  were  upon  me  before  I  could  see  them. 
Thanks  to  you,  I  have  escaped  without  hurt,  Yossouf, 
and  had  it  not  been  for  your  aid  they  would  as- 
suredly have  made  an  end  of  me.  My  pistol  had  fallen 
from  my  hand  as  they  knocked  me  down,  and  on  the 
ground  I  could  not  have  defended  myself  with  my 
sword  for  an  instant.  Once  more,  Yossouf,  I  owe  my 
life  to  you." 

So  many  attempts  similar  to  that  made  upon  the 
house  occupied  by  Will  Gale  took  place  that  sentries 
were  posted  at  ten  o'clock  at  night  at  the  entrances  to 
the  various  streets  in  which  the  houses  left  deserted 
by  the  native  traders  were  situated,  and  orders  were 
given  that  no  natives  should  be  out  of  their  houses  after 
that  hour  unless  provided  with  a  pass  signed  by  the 
commandant  of  the  city.  Several  messengers  were  from 
time  to  time  sent  out  to  endeavour  to  get  through  the 
enemy's  lines  and  to  carry  to  General  Phayre  the  news 
of  what  was  going  on  in  the  city.  A  few  of  these  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  through,  but  none  returned,  so  that 
until  the  sio^nal-liofhts  were  seen  flashing  from  the  dis- 
tant  hills  in  the  direction  of  Khelat-I-Ghilzai  the 
garrison  were  unaware  of  the  steps  which  were  being 
taken  for  their  rescue.  Even  had  unforeseen  obstacles 
prevented  the  advent  of  either  of  the  relieving  columns 
it  is  probable  that  the  garrison  of  Candahar  w^ould 
finally  have  freed  itself.  Colonel  Primrose  had  at  his  dis- 
posal a  force  more  than  double  that  which  had  fought 


INACTIVITY    OF   THE   GARRISON.  327 

at  Mtiiwancl,  and  had  the  British  advanced  into  the 
plain  and  offered  battle  to  Ayoub  on  a  fair  fighting- 
ground  they  should  without  difficulty  have  defeated  his 
army,  whose  long  delays  and  hesitation  showed  how 
immensely  their  morale  had  been  aflfected  by  the  pre- 
vious battle.  Thus  it  was  that  S^le,  after  sustaining  a 
long  siege  in  Jellalabad,  finally  sallied  out  and  com- 
pletely defeated  the  besieging  army  before  the  arrival 
of  the  force  marching  to  his  relief. 

The  Candahar  force  was  not  commanded  by  a  Sale; 
but  had  it  been  given  a. chance  to  retrieve  Maiwand, 
there  can  be  little  doubt  of  what  the  issue  would  have 
been.  Over  and  over  again  the  subject  was  discussed 
at  the  messes  of  the  various  regiments,  and  immense 
indignation  was  felt  at  the  force  being  kept  cooped  up 
in  Candahar  when  the  history  of  India  recorded  scores 
of  examples  of  victories  won  by  British  troops  against 
greater  odds  than  those  now  opposed  to  them. 

It  must  be  said,  however,  that  the  native  portion  of 
the  army  in  Candahar  was  of  very  inferior  fighting 
quality  to  that  which  operated  in  Eastern  Afghan- 
istan. Those  regiments  were  for  the  most  part  either 
Ghoorkas,  Sikhs,  or  Punjaubees,  than  whom  no  braver 
men  exist.  The  Ghoorkas  are  small  active  men,  moun- 
taineers by  birth,  and  to  whom  war  is  a  passion.  The 
Sikhs  and  Punjaubees,  upon  the  contrary,  are  tall 
stately  men,  proud  of  the  historical  fighting  powers  of 
their  race.  They  had  fought  with  extreme  bravery 
against  the  English,  but  once  conquered  they  became 


328  THE  BOMBAY  ARMY. 

true  and  faithful  subjects  of  the  English  crown,  and  it 
was  their  fidelity  and  bravery  which  saved  England 
in  the  dark  days  of  the  mutiny.  The  Bombay  troops, 
upon  the  other  hand,  w^ere  drawn  from  races  which  had 
long  ceased  to  be  warlike.  They  possessed  none  of  the 
dash  and  fire  of  the  hardier  troops;  their  organization 
was,  and  still  is,  defective;  and  the  system  of  officering 
them  was  radically  bad.  The  contrast  between  the 
two  was  strongly  shown  in  the  conduct  of  the  Sikh 
and  Ghoorka  regiments  with  General  Stewart  when 
attacked  by  the  sudden  rush  of  the  Ghazis  at  Ahmed 
Khil,  and  that  of  the  Bombay  Grenadiers  and  Jacob's 
foot  under  precisely  similar  circumstances  at  Maiwand. 
There  is  no  doubt,  however,  that  the  main  reason  why 
General  Primrose  did  not  sally  out  and  give  battle  on 
the  plain  of  Candahar  was  that  in  case  of  defeat  the 
populace  of  the  city  would  assuredly  have  closed  their 
gates  against  the  army,  and  that  nothing  would  have 
remained  but  a  disastrous  retreat  across  the  Kojak 
Pass,  a  retreat  of  which  very  few  would  ever  have 
survived  to  tell.  Their  enforced  idleness  in  Candahar 
made  the  time  pass  slowly  and  heavily,  and  it  was 
with  the  greatest  joy  that  the  garrison  hailed  the  entry 
of  the  columns  of  General  Roberts. 

Upon  his  arrival  the  general  lost  no  time  in  recon- 
noitring the  position  of  the  enemy. 

It  was  well  chosen  for  defence.  His  army  was  en- 
camped behind  the  range  of  hills  known  as  the  Baba- 
Wali  Hills.     A  road  ran  direct  over  these  hills,  and 


ayoub's  position.  329 

here  a  strong  force  was  stationed  supported  by  artillery 
in  position.  The  last  hill  of  the  range  on  the  south- 
west was  known  as  the  Pir-Paimal  Hill,  and  by  turn- 
ing this  the  camp  of  Ayoub's  army  would  be  taken  in 
flank  and  the  defences  in  front  rendered  useless.  The 
reconnaissance  which  was  made  by  the  cavalry,  sup- 
ported by  the  15th  Sikhs,  advanced  close  to  the  central 
hill.  The  enemy  unmasked  five  guns  and  opened  upon 
them,  and  the  Afghans  poured  down  to  the  attack. 

There  was,  however,  no  intention  on  the  part  of  the 
British  commander  of  bringing  on  a  battle,  and  the 
troops  accordingly  fell  back  in  good  order  to  the  main 
body.  A  mile  and  a  half  from  the  city  stood  a  low 
ridge  of  rock  called  the  Picket  Hill,  in  the  line  by 
which  the  column  would  have  to  move  to  turn  the 
Pir-Paimal  Hill,  and  this  was  at  once  seized.  A  number 
of  Ghazis  stationed  here  fought,  as  usual,  desperately, 
but  the  4th  Ghoorkas  repulsed  their  charge  and  cleared 
the  ridge  of  the  enemy.  The  general  determined  to 
attack  the  enemy's  position  with  his  whole  force  on  the 
following  day. 


CHAPTER   XXL 


THE    BATTLE    OF   CANDAHAR. 


HE  plan  of  action  upon  which  General  Ro- 
berts determined  was  simple.  The  1st  and 
2d  brigade  were  to  advance  abreast,  the 
Sd  to  follow  in  support.  As  the  6Gth  were  to  take 
no  part  in  the  fight,  Will  Gale  obtained  leave  to  ride 
out  with  General  AVeatherby  with  the  3d  division. 
The  enemy  were  well  aware  of  the  weak  point  of  the 
position  which  they  occupied,  and  they  had  mustered 
thickly  in  the  plain,  in  which  were  several  villages, 
with  canals  cutting  up  the  ground  in  all  directions, 
and  abounding  with  hedges,  ditches,  and  inclosures; 
altogether  a  very  strongly  defensible  position. 

It  was  at  10  o'clock  on  the  1st  of  September  that 
the  British  force  advanced.  The  first  division  on  the 
ricrht  advanced  ao^ainst  the  laroe  walled  villaoje  of 
Gundi,  which  was  strongly  held  by  the  enemy. 
Against  this  General  Macpherson  sent  the  92d  and 
the  2d  Ghoorkas,  and  stubbornly  as  the  enemy  fought 
the  place  was  carried  by  the  bayonet.  On  the  line 
taken  by  the  2d  division  under  General  Baker,  three 


GUNDI    CARRIED    BY   THE    BAYONET. 


THE   DEFEAT   OF   THE   AFGHANS.  '     331 

villages  had  successively  to  be  carried,  Abasabad, 
Kaghanary,  and  Gundigan.  The  72d  Highlanders  and 
the  2d  Sikhs  advanced  to  the  attack  of  these.  The 
resistance  of  the  Afghans  was  stubborn  in  the  extreme, 
but  they  were  driven  out.  The  fighting  line  of  the  two 
divisions  kept  abreast,  and  for  two  miles  had  to  fight 
every  inch  of  their  way  from  wall  to  wall,  from  garden 
to  garden,  and  here  and  there  from  house  to  house,  and 
from  lane  to  lane. 

Once  or  twice  the  attack  was  checked  for  a  few 
minutes  by  the  desperate  resistance  of  the  Afghans  at 
the  crossing  places  of  canals  and  in  walled  inclosures; 
and  again  and  again  the  Ghazis  rushed  down  upon  the 
troops.  The  Sd  Sikhs  and  the  5th  Ghoorkas  joined 
the  fighting  line,  and  step  by  step  the  ground  was 
won  until  the  base  of  the  hill  vras  turned  and  the 
attacking  force  saw  in  front  of  them  the  great  camp 
of  Ayoub's  troops.  Up  to  this  point  the  enemy  had 
fought  with  the  greatest  bravery,  but  a  sudden  panic 
seized  them  now  they  saw  that  their  line  of  retreat 
was  threatened  by  our  cavalry,  for  an  Afghan  always 
loses  heart  under  such  circumstances.  As  if  by  magic 
the  defence  ceased,  and  the  enemy,  horse  and  foot, 
abandoning  their  guns  and  throwing  away  their  arms, 
fled  up  the  Argandab  valley.  Everything  was  aban- 
doned. 

There  was  nothing  more  for  the  infantry  to  do  but 
to  sack  Ayoub's  camp  and  to  park  the  captive  guns, 
thirty  in  number.     The  amount  of  stores  and  miscel- 


332  ayoub's  camp. 

laneous  articles  in  the  camp  was  enormous,  arms, 
ammunition,  commissariat,  and  ordnance  stores,  hel- 
mets, bullock  huts  crammed  with  native  wearing 
apparel,  writing  materials,  Korans,  English  tinned 
meats,  fruit,  and  money.  Here,  in  fact,  was  all  the  bag- 
gage which  the  army  had  brought  from  Herat,  together 
with  all  the  spoil  which  they  had  captured  at  Maiwand. 

The  cavalry  took  up  the  pursuit.  Unfortunately 
they  had  met  with  great  difficulties  in  advancing 
through  the  broken  country  in  rear  of  the  infantry. 
Had  they  been  close  at  hand  when  the  latter  fought 
their  way  into  Ayoub's  camp,  very  few  of  the  fugitives 
would  have  escaped.  As  it  was,  they  did  good  service 
in  following  up  the  rout,  and  driving  the  enemy, 
a  dispersed  and  broken  crowd,  into  the  hills.  To  the 
fury  of  the  men,  they  found  in  Ayoub's  camp  the  body 
of  Lieutenant  Maclaine,  who  had  been  taken  prisoner 
at  Maiwand,  and  who  was  barbarously  murdered  a  few 
minutes  before  the  arrival  of  the  English  troops.  The 
battle  cost  the  lives  of  three  officers:  Lieutenant- 
colonel  Brownlow,  commanding  the  72d  Highlanders; 
Captain  Frome  of  the  same  regiment;  and  Captain 
Straton,  2d  battalion  of  the  22d.  Eleven  officers  were 
wounded,  46  men  were  killed  and  202  wounded. 

The  enemy  left  1200  dead  on  the  field.  Ayoub's 
regular  regiments  scarcely  fired  a  shot,  and  the  British 
advance  had  been  opposed  entirely  by  the  irregulars 
and  Ghazis,  the  reo^ular  reoiments  havino:  been  drawn 
up  behind  the  Pir-Paimal  Pass,  by  which  they  expected 


THE   END    OF   THE   WAR.  333 

our  main  attack  to  be  made,  a  delusion  which  was  kept 
up  by  our  heavy  fire  from  early  morning  upon  the 
Afghan  guns  on  the  summit  of  the  pass.  When  our 
troops  appeared  round  the  corner  of  the  spur  upon 
their  flank  they  lost  heart  at  once,  and  for  the  most 
part,  throwing  away  their  arms,  joined  the  body  of 
fugitives. 

"  It  would  have  been  hard  work,  sir,"  Will  Gale  said 
to  Colonel  Ripon  as  they  rode  forward  in  rear  of  the 
fighting  brigade,  "  to  have  taken  this  position  with  the 
Candahar  force  alone." 

"It  could  not  have  been  done,"  Colonel  Ripon  replied; 
"but  no  one  would  have  dreamed  of  attempting  it. 
The  Afghans  say  that  the  force  which  Roberts  brought 
down  from  Cabul  was  so  large  that  they  stood  on  the 
defensive,  but  they  would  have  ventured  to  attack  us 
had  we  sallied  out  and  offered  battle  on  the  level  plain 
round  the  city.  Then  I  have  no  doubt  we  could  have 
beaten  them.  However,  all  is  well  that  ends  well. 
Roberts  has  come  up  in  time,  and  has  completely  de- 
feated the  enemy;  still  it  would  have  been  more  satis- 
factory had  we  retrieved  Maiwand  by  thrashing  him 
single-handed.  Well,  I  suppose  this  is  the  end  of  the 
Afghan  war.  We  have  beaten  Ayoub,  I  hope  so  effec- 
tually that  Abdul-Rahman  will  have  no  difficulty  in 
dealing  with  him  in  future ;  and  if  he  really  means  the 
professions  of  friendship  which  he  has  made  us,  we 
may  hope  for  peace  for  some  time.  Probably  the  next 
time  we  have  to  fight  in  this  country  it  will  be  against 


334  RAPID    PROMOTION. 

the  Russians  and  Afghans  united.  There  are  men  in 
England  who  persist  in  shutting  their  eyes  to  the  cer- 
tain consequences  of  the  Russian  advance  towards  the 
northern  frontier  of  Afghanistan;  but  the  time  will 
come  when  England  will  have  to  rue  bitterly  the  in- 
fatuation and  folly  of  her  rulers.  When  that  day  ar- 
rives, she  w411  have  to  make  such  an  effort  to  hold  her 
own  as  she  has  never  had  to  do  since  the  days  when 
she  stood  alone  in  arms  against  Europe." 

Upon  the  following  day  Will  paid  a  visit  to  his 
friends  in  the  Rangers. 

"So  you  got  through  Maiwand  safely!"  the  colonel 
said.  "  Upon  my  word  I  begin  to  think  that  you  have 
a  charmed  life.  I  hear  one  of  your  captains  died  last 
night.     That  gives  you  your  step,  does  it  not?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"You  are  the  luckiest  young  dog  I  ever  heard  of. 
You  got  your  commission  within  a  year  of  enlisting; 
and  now  by  an  extraordinary  fatality  your  regiment 
is  almost  annihilated,  and  you  mount  up  by  death 
steps  to  a  captain's  rank  nine  months  after  the  date 
of  your  gazette.  In  any  other  regiment  in  the  service 
you  would  have  been  lucky  if  you  had  got  three  or 
four  steps  by  this  time." 

"  I  am  fortunate  indeed,  sir,"  Will  said.  "  I  can 
scarcely  believe  it  myself." 

"Ah!  whom  do  I  see  here?"  the  colonel  exclaimed  as 
a  mounted  officer  rode  through  the  camp.  "  My  old 
friend  Ripon!     Ah!  Ripon,  how  are  you?" 


TWO    OLD   FRIENDS.  335 

The  colonel  reined  in  his  horse,  and  the  two  officers, 
who  had  not  met  for  some  years,  entered  into  a  warm 
conversation,  while  Will  strolled  away  to  talk  to  some 
of  the  yoimo-er  officers,  who  cono-ratulated  him  most 
heartily  on  the  luck  which  had  in  a  few  months  taken 
him  over  their  heads. 

In  the  afternoon  Will  received  a  note  from  Colonel 
Ripon  asking  him  to  dine  with  him,  as  Colonel  Shep- 
herd was  going  to  do  so.  Will  replied  that  he  would 
gladly  dine,  but  must  be  excused  for  a  time  afterwards, 
as  he  Avas  on  duty  and  would  have  to  go  the  rounds  in 
the  evening.  There  were  three  or  four  other  officers 
at  dinner,  as  Colonel  Ripon  had  many  friends  in  the 
relieving  column.  When  dinner  was  over,  Will  made 
his  excuses  and  left,  promising  to  look  in  again  in  a 
couple  of  hours  when  he  had  finished  his  rounds.  Soon 
afterwards  the  other  young  officers  left,  Colonel  Shep- 
herd only  remained. 

"  That  is  a  singularly  fine  young  fellow — young- 
Gale,  I  mean,"  Colonel  Shepherd  said,  "  and  a  singu- 
larly fortunate  one.  I  feel  quite  proud  of  him.  It 
was  upon  my  advice  that  he  enlisted;  but  if  any  one 
had  told  me  at  the  time  that  he  would  be  a  captain  in 
two  years  I  should  have  said  that  it  was  absolutely 
impossible." 

"  Yes,"  Colonel  Ripon  replied,  "  his  luck  has  been 
marvellous;  but  if  ever  a  fellow  deserved  it,  he  did.  I 
have  a  very  warm  liking,  I  may  say  an  aflfection,  for 
him.     He  saved  my  life  when  I  was  attacked  by  some 


336  will's  history. 

Ghazis  here,  and  must  have  been  killed  had  it  not 
been  for  his  promptness  and  coolness.  He  was  wounded 
too,  and  we  were  nursed  together  here.  Since  then  I 
have  seen  a  great  deal  of  him,  and  the  more  I  see 
him  the  more  I  like  him.  Do  you  know  anything  of 
him  previous  to  the  time  of  his  enlisting?  You  told 
me  he  joined  your  regiment  on  the  day  when  it 
arrived  at  Calcutta.  1  know  nothing  of  his  history 
before  that.  The  subject  never  happened  to  occur  in 
conversation,  and  it  was  one  upon  which  I  naturally 
should  have  felt  a  delicacy  in  asking  any  questions, 
though  I  have  sometimes  wondered  in  my  own  mind 
how  he  came  to  be  penniless  in  Calcutta,  as  I  suppose 
he  must  have  been  to  have  enlisted.  Did  you  happen 
to  hear  anything  about  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  Colonel  Shepherd  answered.  "  Curi- 
ously enough  he  was  by  no  means  penniless,  as  he  had 
just  received  £100  reward  for  the  services  he  had 
rendered  in  preventing  a  ship  from  being  captured  by 
the  Malays.  I  happened  to  meet  its  captain  on  shore 
the  day  I  landed,  and  heard  from  him  the  story  of  the 
affair,  which  was  as  follows,  as  nearly  as  I  can  recol- 
lect." 

Colonel  Shepherd  then  related  to  his  friend  the 
story  of  the  manner  in  which  the  brig,  when  chased 
by  Malays,  was  saved  by  being  brought  into  the 
reef  by  Will.  "  Naturally,"  he  went  on,  "  I  was  greatly 
interested  in  the  story,  and  expressing  a  wish  to  see 
the  young  fellow,  he  was  brought  off  that  evening  after 


COLONEL  RIPON's   SURPRISE.  337 

mess  to  the  Euphrates,  and  told  ns  how  he  had  been 
wrecked  on  the  island  in  a  Dutch  ship,  from  which 
only  he  and  a  companion  were  saved.  I  was  so  struck 
with  his  conduct,  and  I  may  say  by  his  appearance  and 
manner,  that  I  took  him  aside  into  my  own  cabin  and 
learned  from  him  the  full  particulars  of  his  story.  I 
don't  think  anyone  else  knows  it,  for  when  he  expressed 
his  willingness  to  take  my  advice  and  enlist  I  told  him 
that  he  had  better  say  nothing  about  his  past.  His  man- 
ner was  so  good  that  I  thought  he  would  pass  well  as 
some  gentleman's  son  who  had  got  into  a  scrape,  and 
as  I  hoped  that  the  time  might  come  when  he  might 
step  upwards,  it  was  perhaps  better  that  it  should  not 
be  known  what  was  his  origin." 

"  But  what  was  his  origin.  Shepherd  ?  I  confess  you 
surprise  me,  for  I  have  always  had  an  idea  that  he 
was  a  man  of  good  family,  although  in  some  strange 
way  his  education  had  been  neglected,  for  in  fact  he 
told  me  one  day  that  he  was  absolutely  ignorant  of 
Latin." 

"  Well,  Eipon,  as  you  are  a  friend  of  the  young 

fellow,  and  I  know  it  will  go  no  further,  I  will  tell 

you  the  facts  of  the  case      He  was  brought  up  in  a 

workhouse,  was  apprenticed  to  a  Yarmouth  smackman, 

and  the  boat  being  run  down  in  a  gale  by  a  Dutch 

troopship,  to  which  he  managed  to  cling  as  the  smack 

sank,  he  was  carried  in  her  to  Java.     On  her  voyage 

thence  to  China  he  was  wrecked  on  the  island  I  spoke 

of." 

(274)  y 


338  A  MOMENTOUS  CONVERSATION. 

"  You  astound  me,"  Colonel  Ripon  said,  ''  absolutely 
astound  me.  I  could  have  sworn  that  he  was  a  gentle- 
man by  birth.  Not,  mind  you,  that  I  like  or  esteem 
him  one  iota  the  less  for  what  you  tell  me.  Indeed, 
on  the  contrary,  for  there  is  all  the  more  m^rit  in  his 
having  made  his  way  alone.  Still  you  astonish  me. 
They  tell  me,"  he  said  with  a  smile,  "that  he  is  won- 
derfully like  me;  but  strangely  enough  he  reminds 
me  rather  of  my  wife.  You  remember  her.  Shepherd, 
for  you  were  stationed  at  Meerut  at  the  time  I  mar- 
ried her  there  ? " 

Colonel  Shepherd  nodded,  and  for  a  few  minutes  the 
two  friends  sat  silent,  thinking  over  the  memories 
which  the  words  had  evoked. 

"  Strange,  is  it  not,"  Colonel  Ripon  went  on,  arous- 
ing himself,  "that  the  child  of  some  pauper  parents 
should  have  a  resemblance,  however  distant,  to  me  and 
my  wife  ? " 

*'  Curiously  enough,"  Colonel  Shepherd  said,  "  the 
boy  was  not  born  of  pauper  parents;  he  was  left  at  the 
door  of  the  workhouse  at  Ely  by  a  tramp,  whose  body 
was  found  next  morning  in  one  of  the  ditches.  It  was 
a  stormy  night,  and  she  had  no  doubt  lost  her  way 
after  leaving  the  child.  That  was  why  they  called 
him  William  Gale.  Why,  what  is  the  matter,  Ripon? 
Good  heavens,  are  you  ill  ?  " 

Colonel  Shepherd's  surprise  was  natural.  The  old 
officer  sat  rigid  in  his  chair  with  his  eyes  open  and 
staring  at  his  friend,  and  yet  apparently  without  see- 


A    STARTLING   IDEA.  339 

ing  him.  The  colour  in  his  face  had  faded  away,  and 
even  through  the  deep  bronze  of  the  Indian  sun  its 
pallor  was  visible.  Colonel  Shepherd  rose  in  great 
alarm,  and  was  about  to  call  for  assistance  when  his 
friend,  with  a  slight  motion  of  his  hand,  motioned  to 
him  to  abstain. 

"  How  old  is  he  ?  "  came  presently  in  a  strange  tone 
from  his  lips. 

"  How  old  is  who  ? "  Colonel  Shepherd  asked  in  sur- 
prise— "Oh,  you  mean  Gale!  He  is  not  nineteen  yet, 
though  he  looks  four  or  five  years  older.  He  was 
under  seventeen  when  he  enlisted,  and  I  rather  strained 
a  point  to  get  him  in  by  hinting,  that,  when  he  was  asked 
his  age,  he  had  better  say  under  nineteen.  So  he  was 
entered  as  eighteen,  but  I  know  he  was  more  than  a 
year  younger  than  that.  But  what  has  that  to  do 
w4th  it,  my  dear  old  friend?  What  is  the  matter  with 
you?" 

"  I  believe,  Shepherd,"  Colonel  Ripon  said  solemnly, 
"  that  he  is  my  son." 

"  Your  son !  "  his  comrade  exclaimed,  astonished. 

"  Yes,  I  believe  he  is  my  son." 

"  But  how  on  earth  can  that  be  ? "  his  friend  asked. 
"Are  you  sure  that  you  know  what  you  are  saying? 
Is  your  head  quite  clear,  old  friend  ? " 

"My  head  is  clear  enough,"  the  colonel  replied, 
"  although  I  felt  stunned  at  first.  Did  you  never  hear 
of  my  having  lost  my  child?" 

"No,  indeed,"  Colonel  Shepherd  replied,  more  and 


340  COLONEL   RIPON'S   STORY. 

more  surprised.  For  lie  had  at  first  supposed  that 
some  sudden  access  of  fever  or  delirium  had  seized  his 
friend.  "  You  will  remember  that  a  week  or  two  after 
you  were  married  my  regiment  was  moved  up  to  the 
north,  and  we  remained  three  years  longer  in  India. 
When  I  got  back  to  England  I  heard  that  you  had 
lost  your  wife  a  short  time  before  and  had  returned. 
I  remember  our  ships  crossed  on  the  way.  When  we 
met  again  the  conversation  never  turned  on  the  past." 
"  I  will  tell  you  the  story,"  the  colonel  said,  "  and 
you  will  see  that  at  any  rate  the  boy  may  be  my  son, 
and  that  being  so  the  double  likeness  proves  to  me 
incontestably  that  he  is.  I  had,  as  you  know,  been  ill 
before  I  left  India.  I  had  not  been  home  for  fifteen 
years,  and  got  two  years'  leave.  As  you  may  know, 
I  had  a  good  fortune  irrespective  of  the  service,  and  I 
took  a  place  called  Holmwood  Park,  near  Dawlish,and  as 
I  had  thought  of  retiring  at  the  end  of  my  leave  I  was 
put  on  the  commission  of  the  peace.  My  boy  was  born 
a  few  months  after  I  got  home.  Soon  after  I  took 
the  place  some  gipsy  fellows  broke  into  the  poultry- 
yard  and  stole  some  valuable  chickens  which  were  great 
pets  of  my  wife.  I  chased  them,  and  finally  brought 
home  the  guilt  of  the  theft  to  one  of  the  men  in 
whose  tent  a  lot  of  their  feathers  were  found.  He 
had  been  previously  convicted,  and  was  sentenced  to  a 
term  of  penal  servitude.  Before  the  trial  his  wife,  also 
a  gipsy,  called  upon  me  and  begged  me  not  to  ap- 
pear against  her  husband.      This  of  course  was   out 


A  BROKEN-HEARTED   MOTHER.  341 

of  the  question,  as  he  had  already  been  sent  to  trial. 
When  she  found  that  her  entreaties  were  useless,  she 
in  the  most  vindictive  tone  told  me  that  I  should 
repent  it,  and  she  certainly  spoke  as  if  she  meant  it. 
I  heard  nothing  more  of  the  matter  until  the  boy  was 
sixteen  months  old;  then  he  disappeared;  he  was 
stolen  from  the  garden.  A  clue  was  left,  evidently 
that  I  might  know  from  whom  the  blow  came.  The 
gipsy  had  been  convicted  partly  on  the  evidence  of 
the  feathers,  but  principally  from  the  fact  that  the 
boot  which  he  had  on  had  half  the  iron  on  the  heel 
broken  off,  and  this  tallied  exactly  with  some  marks 
in  my  fowl-house.  An  hour  after  the  child  w^as  gone 
we  found  in  the  centre  of  the  drive  in  the  park  a  boot, 
conspicuously  placed  there  to  catch  the  eye,  and  this 
boot  I  recognized  by  the  broken  iron  as  that  which 
had  transported  the  gipsy.  That  the  woman  had 
stolen  the  child  I  had  not  the  least  doubt;  but  neither 
of  her  nor  it  could  I  ever  gain  the  slightest  clue.  I 
advertised  in  every  paper  in  the  kingdom.  I  offered  a 
reward  of  £1000,  and  I  believe  the  police  searched  every 
gipsy  encampment  in  England,  but  without  success. 
My  wife  had  never  been  strong,  and  from  that  day 
she  gradually  sank.  As  long  as  there  was  hope  she 
kept  up  for  a  time.  I  hoped  all  would  go  well,  but 
three  months  afterwards  she  faded  rapidly,  and  ere 
six  months  had  passed  from  the  loss  of  the  child  I 
buried  her  and  came  straight  out  to  India.  I  went 
home  once  for  two  or  three  months  upon  business  con- 


342  THE  MEANS   OF  RECOGNITION. 

necfced  with  my  property  there  some  seven  years  since. 
That  was  when  we  last  met,  you  know,  at  the  club. 
With  that  exception  I  have  remained  here  ever  since." 

"  The  trouble  will  be,  I  fear,"  Colonel  Shepherd 
said,  "  for  you  to  identify  him.  That  vindictive  gipsy 
woman  who  stole  your  child  is  not  likely  to  have  left 
any  marks  on  its  clothing  by  which  it  might  be  iden- 
tified at  any  future  time  and  her  revenge  on  you 
frustrated." 

"Thank  God!"  the  colonel  said  earnestly,  "if  it  be 
my  son  he  bears  a  mark  by  which  I  shall  know  him. 
That  was  one  of  his  poor  mother's  greatest  comforts. 
The  child  was  born  with  an  ugly  blood  mark  on  its 
neck.  It  used  to  bother  my  wife  a  good  deal,  and  she 
consulted  several  surgeons  whether  it  could  not  be  re- 
moved, but  they  all  said  no,  not  without  completely 
cutting  out  the  flesh;  and  this,  of  course,  was  not  to 
be  thought  of.  After  the  child  was  lost  I  remember 
as  well  as  if  it  had  been  spoken  to-day,  my  wife  say- 
ing, '  How  strange  are  God's  ways !  I  was  foolish 
enough  to  fret  over  that  mark  on  the  darling's  neck, 
and  now  the  thought  of  it  is  my  greatest  comfort;  and 
if  it  shall  be  God's  will  that  years  shall  pass  away 
before  we  find  him,  there  is  a  sign  by  which  we  shall 
always  know  him.  No  other  child  can  be  palmed  off 
upon  us  as  our  own.  When  we  find  Tom  we  shall 
know  him,  however  changed  he  may  be.'  Listen, 
Shepherd!  that  is  his  step  on  the  stairs.  May  God 
grant  that  he  prove  to  be  my  son!" 


A   STRANGE   REQUEST.  343 

"Be  calm,  old  friend,"  Colonel  Shepherd  said;  "I 
will  speak  to  him." 

The  door  opened  and  Will  entered. 

"  I  am  glad  you  have  not  gone,  colonel — I  was  afraid 
you  might  have  left,  for  I  have  been  longer  than  I 
expected.  I  just  heard  the  news  that  the  66th  are  in 
orders  this  evening  to  march  the  day  after  to-morrow 
for  Kurrachee  to  sail  for  England,  where  we  are  to  be 
reorganized  again." 

"  Gale,  I  am  going  to  ask  you  a  rather  curious  thing. 
Will  you  do  it  without  asking  why?"  Colonel  Shepherd 
said  quietly. 

"  Certainly,  colonel,  if  it  is  in  my  power,"  Will  said 
somewhat  surprised. 

"Will  you  take  off  your  patrol  jacket,  open  your 
shirt,  and  turn  it  well  down  at  the  neck  ? " 

For  a  moment  Will  looked  astounded  at  this  request. 
He  saw  by  the  tone  in  which  it  was  made  that  it  was 
seriously  uttered,  and  without  hesitation  he  began  to 
unhook  his  patrol  jacket.  As  he  did  so  his  eye  fell 
upon  Colonel  Ripon's  face,  and  the  intense  anxiety  and 
emotion  that  it  expressed  caused  him  to  pause  for  a 
moment.  Something  extraordinary  hung  on  w^hat  he 
had  been  asked  to  do.  All  sorts  of  strange  thoughts 
flashed  through  his  brain.  Hundreds  of  times  m  his 
life  he  had  said  to  himself  that  if  ever  he  discovered 
his  parents  it  would  be  by  means  of  this  mark  upon 
his  neck  which  he  was  now  asked  to  expose.  The 
many  remarks  which  had  been  made  of  his  likeness  to 


344  FATHER   AND   SON. 

Colonel  Ripon  flashed  across  his  mind,  and  it  was  with 
an  emotion  scarcely  inferior  to  that  of  the  old  officer 
that  he  opened  his  shirt  and  turned  down  the  collar. 
The  sight  was  conclusive.  Colonel  Ripon  held  out  his 
arms  with  a  cry  of — 

"My  son,  my  son!" 

Bewildered  and  delighted  Will  felt  himself  pressed 
to  the  heart  of  the  man  whom  he  liked  and  esteemed 
beyond  all  others. 

With  a  word  of  the  heartiest  congratulation  Colonel 
Shepherd  left  the  father  and  son  together  to  exchange 
confidences  and  tell  to  each  other  their  respective 
stories  and  to  realize  the  great  happiness  which  had 
befallen  them  both.  Their  delight  was  without  a 
single  cloud,  save  that  which  passed  for  a  moment 
through  Colonel  Ripon's  mind  as  he  thought  how  his 
wife  would  have  rejoiced  had  she  lived  to  see  that 
day. 

His  joy  was  in  some  respects  even  greater  than  that 
of  his  son.  The  latter  had  always  pictured  to  himself 
that  if  he  ever  discovered  his  father  he  should  find  him 
all  that  was  good;  but  the  colonel  had  for  many  years 
not  only  given  up  all  hope  of  ever  finding  his  son,  but 
almost  every  desire  to  do  so.  He  had  thought  that  if  still 
alive  he  must  be  a  gipsy  vagabond,  a  poacher,  a  liar,  a 
thief,  like  those  among  whom  he  would  have  been 
brought  up.  From  such  a  discovery  no  happiness  could 
be  looked  for,  only  annoyance,  humiliation,  and  trouble. 
To  find  his  son  then  all  that  he  could  wish  for — a 


DEEP  HAPPINESS.  345 

gentleman,  a  most  promising  young  officer,  the  man, 
indeed,  to  whom  he  had  been  so  specially  attracted — 
was  a  joy  altogether  unhoped  and  unlooked  for.  Morn- 
ing had  broken  before  the  newly  united  father  and  son 
had  done  their  long  and  happy  talk,  and  they  separated 
only  to  take  a  bath  to  prepare  them  for  the  day's 
work. 

The  astonishment  of  everyone  was  unbounded  when 
Colonel  Ripon  announced  on  the  following  morning 
that  in  Captain  Gale  of  the  66th,  who  it  was  known 
had  risen  from  the  ranks,  he  had  discovered  a  son  that 
had  been  stolen  from  him  as  a  child.  No  one  enter- 
tained a  doubt  for  an  instant  that  any  mistake  had 
arisen,  for  the  likeness  between  the  two  men  as  they 
strode  down  the  street  together  on  their  way  to  General 
Roberts'  quarters  was  so  marked  that — now  that  men 
knew  the  relationship — none  doubted  for  a  moment 
that  they  were  indeed  father  and  son. 

The  warmest  congratulations  poured  in  upon  them 
from  all  sides,  and  from  none  more  heartily  than  from 
the  general,  who  was  more  than  ever  pleased  that  he 
had  been  the  means  of  Will's  obtaining  his  commission 
from  the  ranks.  The  same  day  Colonel  Ripon  sent  off,  by 
a  mounted  messenger  carrying  despatches,  a  telegram 
to  be  sent  from  the  nearest  station  of  the  flying  line, 
which  the  engineers  advancing  with  Colonel  Phayre's 
force  had  already  carried  as  far  as  the  Kojak  Pass,  to 
the  government  of  India,  asking  leave  to  go  home  at 
once  on  the  most  urgent  and  pressing  family  business. 


346  yossouf's  determination. 

Yossouf 's  grief  when  he  heard  that  his  master  was 
o'oinn  to  leave  for  Eniiland  was  very  e^reat.  At  first 
he  begged  that  he  might  accompany  him;  but  Tom 
pointed  out  that,  much  as  he  should  like  to  have  him 
with  him,  his  position  in  England  would  be  an  uncom- 
fortable one.  He  would  meet  wdth  no  one  with  whom 
ne  could  converse,  and  would  after  a  time  long  for  his 
own  country  again.  Yossouf  yielded  to  his  reasoning, 
and  the  picture  which  Will  drew  of  his  own  loneliness 
when  in  Cabul  separated  from  all  his  own  people  aided 
greatly  in  enforcing  his  arguments  on  his  mind.  He 
said,  however,  that  at  any  rate  he  w^ould  not  return  to 
Afghanistan  at  present. 

"It  will  be  long,"  he  said,  "before  things  settle 
down  there,  and  it  will  be  useless  for  me  to  put  my 
money  into  a  herd  which  might  be  driven  off  by  plun- 
derers the  next  week.  Besides,  at  present  the  feeling 
against  the  English  will  be  strong,  so  many  have  lost 
men  of  their  family  in  the  fighting.  If  I  returned  I 
should  be  a  marked  man.  It  is  known  that  I  threw 
in  my  lot  with  the  English,  and  it  will  be  cast  in  my 
teeth  even  if  no  worse  came  of  it.  No,  I  wall  enlist  in 
the  Guides;  I  shall  be  at  home  with  them,  for  most  of 
them  belong  to  the  Afghan  tribes.  I  am  young  yet, 
not  fully  a  man,  and  I  have  my  life  before  me. 
Some  day,  perhaps,  if  things  are  quiet  and  prosperous 
at  home,  I  will  go  back  and  end  my  days  there." 

So  it  was  arranged.  One  of  the  officers  of  the  Guides 
had  accompanied  General  Roberts  as  interpreter,  and 


ENROLLED    FN   THE   GUIDES.  347 

Will  handed  over  Yossoiif  to  him,  telling  him  how  well 
the  lad  had  served  him.  The  officer  promised  to  enroll 
him  in  the  corps  as  soon  as  he  rejoined  it,  and  also  that 
he  would  not  fail  to  report  his  conduct  to  the  colonel 
and  to  obtain  his  promotion  to  the  rank  of  a  native 
officer  as  soon  as  possible.  From  Will  Yossouf  would 
accept  nothing  except  his  revolver  as  a  keepsake,  but 
Colonel  Ripon  insisted  upon  his  taking  from  him  a 
present  which  would  make  him  a  rich  man  when  he 
chose  to  return  to  his  native  country. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

AT   HOME   AT   LAST. 

^^Sl  HE  next  day  Colonel  Eipon  started  with  the 
J^^:  66th,  and  at  the  end  of  the  first  day's  march 
^^#*^:|  met  a  messenger,  who,  among  other  de- 
spatches, carried  a  telegram  granting  him  at  once  the 
leave  he  asked  for,  and  which  indeed  had  been  due  had 
he  asked  for  it  many  years  before.  His  intention  was 
to  accompany  the  66th  to  Kurrachee  and  to  sail  with 
it  to  England.  This  intention  was  carried  out,  and 
the  remnant  of  the  regiment  safely  reached  England. 

One  of  Colonel  Ripon's  first  steps  was  to  accompany 
Will,  or,  as  he  ought  now  to  be  called,  Tom,  to  the 
Horse  Guards,  and  to  procure  an  insertion  in  the 
Gazette  stating  that  Captain  William  Gale  of  the  66th 
would  henceforth  be  known  by  his  true  and  proper 
name  of  Thomas  Ripon.  The  colonel  purchased  a  fine 
estate  in  Somersetshire,  and  retiring  from  the  service 
settled  down  there.  There  was  a  considerable  discus- 
sion between  father  and  son  as  to  whether  the  latter 
should  remain  in  the  army.  Colonel  Ripon  was  un- 
w^illing  that  his  son  should  relinquish  a  profession  of 


OLD  FRIENDS.  349 

which  he  was  fond,  and  in  which,  from  his  early  pro- 
motion, he  had  every  chance  of  obtaining  high  rank 
and  honour;  but  Tom,  who  saw  how  great  a  pleasure 
his  society  was  to  his  father,  and  how  lonely  the 
latter's  life  would  be  without  him,  was  resolute  in  his 
determination  to  quit  the  service.  He  had  already,  as 
he  said,  passed  through  a  far  greater  share  of  adven- 
ture than  usually  falls  to  one  man's  lot,  and  the 
colonel's  property  was  so  large  that  there  was  not  the 
slightest  occasion  for  him  to  continue  in  the  service. 

Not  long  after  his  return  to  England  Will  paid  a 
visit  to  Ely  workhouse.  He  was  accompanied  by  the 
colonel,  and  the  two  men  walked  together  up  to  the 
gate  of  the  workhouse.  He  rang  at  the  bell,  and  a 
woman  opened  the  door.  She  curtsied  at  seeing  two 
tall  soldier-like  gentlemen  before  her. 

"Your  name  is  Mrs.  Dickson,  I  think?"  the  younger 
said.  The  woman  gave  a  violent  start  and  gazed  ear- 
nestly at  him. 

"It  is  Will  Gale!"  she  exclaimed,  drawing  back  a 
step.     "  They  said  you  were  dead  years  ago." 

"  No,  I  am  very  much  alive,  Mrs.  Dickson,  and  glad, 
most  glad,  to  see  an  old  friend  again." 

"Good  Lord!"  the  woman  exclaimed,  "it  is  the 
boy  himself,  sure  enough;"  and  for  a  moment  she 
seemed  as  if  she  would  have  rushed  into  his  arms,  and 
then  she  drew  back,  abashed  at  his  appearance.  Tom, 
however,  held  out  his  arms,  and  the  woman  fell  sobbing 
into  them. 


350  sam's  astonishment. 

"  Why,  you  did  not  think  so  badly  of  me,"  he  said, 
"  as  to  think  that  I  shoukl  f'oro-et  the  woman  who  was 
a  mother  to  me.  Father,"  he  said — "  for  I  have  found 
my  real  father,  Mrs.  Dickson,  as  you  always  said  I 
should  some  day — it  is  to  this  good  woman  that  I 
owe  what  I  am.  But  for  her  I  might  now  be  a 
labouring  man;  but  it  is  to  her  kindness,  to  her  good 
advice,  to  her  lessons,  that  I  owe  everything.  It  was 
she  who  taught  me  that  I  should  so  behave  that  if  my 
parents  ever  found  me  they  should  have  no  cause  to  be 
ashamed  of  me.  She  was  indeed  as  a  mother  to  me, 
and  this  lodge  was  my  home  rather  than  the  work- 
house inside.     Ah!  and  here  is  Sam!" 

Sam  Dickson,  coming  out  at  this  moment,  stood  in 
open-mouthed  astonishment  at  seeing  his  wife  stand- 
inoj  with  her  hand  in  that  of  a  o'entleman. 

"Oh,  Sam!  who  do  you  think  this  is?"  Sam  made 
no  reply,  but  stared  at  Tom  with  all  his  eyes. 

"  If  it  warn't  that  he  be  drowned  and  dead  long- 
ago,"  he  said  at  last,  "  I  should  say  it  was  Will  Gale 
growed  up  and  got  to  be  a  gentleman.  I  shouldn't  ha' 
knowed  him  at  first,  but  when  he  smiles  I  don't  think 
as  how  I  can  be  far  wrong." 

"  You  are  right,  Sam.  I  am  the  boy  you  and  your 
wife  were  so  kind  to  from  the  time  you  picked  him  up 
just  where  we  are  standing,  and  whom  you  last  handed 
over  to  go  aboard  a  smack  at  Yarmouth.  She  was,  as 
you  have  heard,  run  down  in  the  North  Sea,  but  I  was 
saved  in  the  ship  which  ran  over  her  and  was  taken 


APPOINTMENTS    FOR   LIFE.  351 

out  to  the  East.  There,  after  being  wrecked  again, 
and  o-oino-  throuoh  lots  of  adventures,  I  went  to  India, 
enlisted  there,  and  fouo'ht  throuo-h  the  Afo-han  war. 
I  am  a  captain  now,  and  my  name  is  no  longer  Will 
Gale,  but  Tom  Eipon,  for  I  have  found  my  real  father, 
this  gentleman,  Colonel  Ripon." 

"  Who  feels,"  Colonel  Ripon  went  on,  "  how  much 
he  and  his  son  owe  to  your  kindness  and  that  of  your 
good  wife  here,  and  who,  as  you  will  find,  is  not  un- 
grateful. I  have  just  bought  an  estate  down  in  Somer- 
setshire, and  I  mean  to  install  you  and  your  wife  in  a 
pretty  lodge  at  the  gates,  with  enough  to  live  upon 
comfortably  to  the  end  of  your  lives." 

Mrs.  Dickson  cried  with  joy  as  Colonel  Ripon  entered 
into  details  of  what  he  intended  to  do  for  them,  and 
Sam,  although,  as  was  his  way,  much  less  demonstrative 
in  his  gladness,  was  yet  greatly  delighted.  There  was 
a  good  garden  to  the  lodge;  they  were  to  have  the 
keep  of  a  cow,  and  thirty  shillings  per  week  as  long 
as  they  lived.  Before  the  colonel  left,  Sam  Dickson's 
resignation  of  his  post  was  handed  in  to  the  master. 

The  colonel  told  them  that  at  the  end  of  the  month, 
when  Sam's  notice  would  expire,  they  were  to  sell  off 
what  furniture  they  had,  as  it  would  cost  more  to  con- 
vey it  so  long  a  distance  than  it  was  worth,  and  he 
would  take  care  that  they  should  find  everything  com- 
fortable and  ready  for  occupation  at  the  lodge  upon  their 
arrival.  Tom  called  upon  the  master  and  matron  and 
schoolmaster,  and  thanked  all  for  the  kindness  that 


352  CONCLUSION. 

they  bad  shown  him  when  a  boy;  and  Colonel  Ripon 
left  a  cheque  with  the  master  to  be  expended  in  tobacco, 
tea,  and  suo^ar  for  the  ao^ed  inmates  of  the  house.  - 

No  words  can  express  the  delight  of  Sam  Dickson 
and  his  wife  when,  a  month  later,  they  arrived  at  their 
new  home.  Tom  had  spared  no  trouble  in  seeing  that 
it  was  comfortably  and  cosily  furnished.  The  garden 
had  been  thoroughly  dug  up  and  planted,  and  Mrs. 
Dickson  could  scarcely  believe  that  she  was  the  mis- 
tress of  so  pleasant  a  home.  Tom  was  forgetful  of 
none  of  his  old  friends,  and  he  w^rote  to  an  address 
which  Hans,  his  companion  among  the  Malays,  had 
given  him  when  they  separated,  and  forwarded  to  him 
a  handsome  watch  as  a  souvenir  of  his  comrade. 

There  is  no  more  to  be  told.  Captain  Ripon,  still  a 
very  young  man,  is  living  with  his  father  the  colonel. 
He  is  one  of  the  most  popular  men  in  his  county,  and 
there  is  some  talk  of  his  standino;  for  one  of  its  borouofhs 
at  the  next  election,  and  it  is  rumoured  that  he  is  likely, 
ere  long,  to  bring  home  a  lady  who  will  be  the  future 
mistress  of  Burnham  Park. 

He  is  quite  content  that  he  has  left  the  army,  though 
he  fidgetted  a  little,  while  the  Egyptian  war  was  going 
on,  and  could  not  help  feeling  a  little  regret  that  he 
did  not  take  part  in  the  storming  of  Tel-el-Kebir. 


"More  suitable  books,  especially  for  boys,  it  would  be  impossible  to  imagine.  Whether 
of  adventure,  school  life,  or  domestic  interest,  every  story  is  alike  marked  with  those  wholesome 
and  robust  characteristics  which  form  so  valuable  a  feature  in  juvenile  literature." — Christinas 
Bookseller,  i8S6. 


CRIBNER  &  HELFORD'S 


Catalogue  of  Books 


FOR 


YOUNG    PEOPLE. 


INCLUDING  NEW  WORKS 

BY 

G.  A.  HENTY,   G.  M.  FENN,    HARRY  COLLINGWOOD,    F.  FRANKFORT  MOORE, 

ROSA  MULHOLLAND,    SARAH  TYTLER,    SARAH   DOUDNEY, 

ALICE  CORKRAN,  AND  OTHER  POPULAR  AUTHORS. 


743    BROADWAY,    NEW    YORK. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOU^'G  PEOPLE. 


BY   G.    A.    HENTY. 

"  Here  we  have  Mr.  George  Heuty— the  Boys'  Own  Author. 


-Punch. 


THE    LION    OF   ST.    MARK: 

A  Tale  of  Venice.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  10  fuU-page  Illus- 
trations by  Gordon  Browne.  Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant, 
olivine  edges,  $1*50. 

A  story  of  Venice  at  a  period  when  her  strength  and  splendour  were  put 
to  the  severest  tests.  The  hero,  the  son  of  an  English  trader  who  has 
taken  up  residence  in  the  city,  displays  a  fine  sense  and  manliness  which 
carry  him  safely  through  an  atmosphere  of  intrigue,  crime,  and  bloodshed. 
In  his  gondola  on  the  canals  and  lagunes,  and  in  the  ships  which  he  rises 
to  command,  he  is  successful  in  extricating  his  friends  and  himself  from 
imminent  dangers,  and  contributes  largely  to  the  victories  of  the  Venetians 
at  Porto  d'Anzo  and  Chioggia.  He  is  honoured  by  the  state,  and  finally 
wins  the  hand  of  the  daughter  of  one  of  the  chief  men  of  Venice,  to  whom 
he  has  rendered  important  services. 

BONNIE    PRINCE    CHARLIE: 

A  Tale  of  Fontenoy  and  Culloden.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne.  Crown  8vo, 
cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1'50. 

The  adventures  of  the  son  of  a  Scotch  officer  in  French  service  who  had 
secretly  married  the  daughter  of  a  noble.  The  boy,  brought  up  by  a 
Glasgow  bailie,  is  arrested  for  aiding  a  Jacobite  agent,  escapes  in  a  Dutch 
ship,  is  wi'ecked  on  the  French  coast,  reaches  Paris,  and  serves  with  the 
French  army  at  Dettingen.  Having  discovered  the  convent  in  which  his 
mother  is  imprisoned,  he  establishes  communication  vsdth  her,  and  succeeds 
in  obtaining  through  Marshal  Saxe  the  release  of  both  his  parents.  He 
kills  his  father's  foe  in  a  duel,  and  escaping  to  the  coast,  shares  the  ad- 
ventures of  Prince  Charlie,  but  finally  settles  happily  in  Scotland.  A  book 
of  the  most  stirring  incident  and  of  historic  value. 


"Eonald,  the  hero,  is  very  like  the 
hero  of  Quentin  Durivard.  The  lad's 
jom'ney  across  France  with  his  faith- 
ful attendant  Malcolm,  and  his  hair- 
breadth escapes  from  the  machinations 
of  his  father's  enemies,  make  up  as 
good  a  narrative  of  the  kind  as  we  have 
ever  read.  For  freshness  of  treatment 
and  variety  of  incident,  ilr.  Henty  has 
here  surpassed  himselt."— Spectator. 

"It  is  the  Scottish  adventure  of  the 
prince  that  has  been  chosen  as  the 
framework  of  the  story;  and  never  has 


that  romantic  episode  in  the  Preten- 
der's life  been  more  accurately  or 
vividly  delineated.  .  .  .  While  his 
book  is  really  a  painstaking  and  con- 
scientious historical  study,  it  has  the 
swift-flowing  vivacity  and  vigour  of  his 
most  spontaneous  and  stirring  stories." 
— Christian  Leader. 

"  A  historical  romance  of  the  best 
quality.  Mr.  Henty  has  written  many 
more  sensational  stories  than  Bonnie 
Prince  Charlie  but  never  a  more  artistic 
one."— Academy. 


BOOKS  FOR   YOU^G  PEOPLE. 


BY   G.  A.  HENTY. 

'Mr.  Henty  is  one  of  the  best  of  story-tellers  for  young  people."— 5pec<aeor. 


CAPTAIN  BAYLEY'S  HEIR: 

A  Tale  of  the  Gold  Fields  of  California.  Bj  G.  A.  Henty. 
With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  H.  M.  Paget.  Crown  8vo, 
cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1*50. 

A  frank  manly  lad  and  his  cousin,  who  is  of  the  plausible  scheming  type, 
are  rivals  in  the  heirship  of  a  considerable  property.  The  former  falls  into 
a  trap  laid  by  the  latter,  and  while  under  a  false  accusation  of  theft  fool- 
ishly leaves  England  for  America.  He  works  his  passage  before  the  mast, 
becomes  one  of  the  hands  on  a  river  trading-flat,  joins  a  small  band  of 
hunters,  crosses  a  tract  of  country  infested  with  Indians  to  the  Califoi-nian 
gold  diggings,  and  is  successful  both  as  digger  and  trader.  He  acquires  a 
small  fortune,  is  at  length  proved  innocent  of  the  charge  which  drove  him 
from  home,  and  returns  rich  in  valuable  experiences. 

THE  LION   OF   THE  NOBTH 

A  Tale  of  Gustavus  Adolphus  and  the  "Wars  of  Eeligion.  By 
G.  A.  Henty.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  John 
ScHONBERG,  in  black  and  tint.  Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant, 
olivine  edges,  $1-50. 

In  this  story  Mr.  Henty  gives  the  history  of  the  first  part  of  the  Thirty 
Years'  War,  a  struggle  unprecedented  in  length,  in  the  fury  with  which  it 
was  carried  on,  and  in  the  terrible  destruction  and  ruin  which  it  caused. 
The  issue  had  its  importance,  which  has  extended  to  the  present  day,  as 
it  established  rehgious  freedom  in  Germany.  The  army  of  the  chivalrous 
King  of  Sweden,  the  prop  and  maintenance  of  the  Protestant  cause,  was 
largely  composed  of  Scotchmen,  and  among  these  was  the  hero  of  the 
story.  The  chief  interest  of  the  tale  turns  on  the  great  struggle  between 
Gustavus  and  his  chief  opponents  Wallenstein,  Tilly,  and  Pappenheim. 

vus  Adolphus.    Mackay,  Hepburn,  and 


"As  we  might  expect  from  Mr.  Henty 
the  tale  is  a  clever  and  instructive 
piece  of  history,  and  as  boys  may  be 
trusted  to  read  it  conscientiously,  they 
can  hardly  fail  to  be  profited  as  well  as 
pleased."— TAe  Times. 

"A  praiseworthy  attempt  to  interest 
British  youth  in  the  great  deeds  of  the 
Scotch  Brigade  in  the  wars  of  Gusta- 


Munro  live  again  in  Mr.  Henty'spages.as 
those  deserve  to  live  whose  disciplined 
bands  formed  really  the  germ  of  the 
modern  British  simiy."  —Athenceum. 

"A  stirring  story  of  stirring  times. 
This  book  should  hold  a  place  among 
the  classics  of  youthful  fiction."—  United 
Service  Gazette. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BY    G.    A.    HENTY. 

'Mr.  Henty's  books  never  fail  to  interest  boy  readers."— .4cademj/. 


FOB    THE   TEMPLE: 

A  Tale  of  the  Fall  of  Jerusalem.  By  G.  A.  Hentt.  With  10 
full-page  Illustrations  by  S.  J.  Solomon:  and  a  coloured  Map. 
Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1-50. 

Few  boys  have  failed  to  find  the  story  of  the  revolt  of  the  Jews  of 
thrilling  interest  when  once  brought  to  their  notice;  but  there  has  hitherto 
been  little  choice  between  sending  them  to  books  of  history  and  supply- 
ing them  with  insipid  fictional  transcripts  of  the  story.  Mr.  Henty  sup- 
plies a  distinct  want  in  this  regard,  weaving  into  the  record  of  Josephus 
an  admirable  and  attractive  plot.  The  troubles  in  the  district  of  Tiberias, 
the  march  of  the  legions,  the  sieges  of  Jotapata,  of  Gamala,  and  of 
Jerusalem,  form  the  impressive  and  carefully-studied  historic  setting 
to  the  figure  of  the  lad  who  passes  from  the  vineyard  to  the  service  of 
Josephus,  becomes  the  leader  of  a  guerrilla  band  of  patriots,  fights  bravely 
for  the  Temple,  and  after  a  brief  term  of  slavery  at  Alexandria,  returns  to 
his  Galilean  home  with  the  favour  of  Titus. 


WITH   CLIVE  IN  INDIA: 

Or  the  Beginnings  of  an  Empire.     By  G.  A.  Henty.     With 

12  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne,  in  black  and 
tint.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1-50. 

The  period  between  the  landing  of  Clive  as  a  young  writer  in  India  and 
the  close  of  his  career  was  critical  and  eventful  in  the  extreme.  At  its 
commencement  the  English  were  traders  existing  on  sufferance  of  the 
native  princes.  At  its  close  they  were  masters  of  Bengal  and  of  the  greater 
part  of  Southern  India.  The  author  has  given  a  full  and  accurate  account 
of  the  events  of  that  stirring  time,  and  battles  and  sieges  follow  each  other 
in  rapid  succession,  while  he  combines  with  his  narrative  a  tale  of  daring 
and  adventure,  which  gives  a  lifelike  interest  to  the  volume. 


"  In  this  book  Mr.  Henty  has  contrived 
to  exceed  himself  in  stirring  adventures 
and  thrilling  situations.  The  pictures  add 
greatly  to  the  interest  of  the  book."— 
Saturday  Review. 

'  'Among  writers  of  stories  of  adventure 
for  boys  Mr.  Henty  stands  in  the  very 
first  rank,  and  Mr.  Gordon  Browne  occu- 
pies a  similar  place  with  his  pencil.  .  .  . 
Those  who  know  something  about  India 


will  be  the  most  ready  to  thank  Mr. 
Henty  for  giving  them  this  instructive 
volume  to  place  in  the  hands  of  their  chil- 
dren." — A  cademy. 

"  He  has  taken  a  period  of  Indian  His- 
tory of  the  most  vital  importance,  and  he 
has  embroidered  on  the  historical  facta 
a  story  which  of  itself  is  deeply  interest- 
ing. Young  people  assuredly  will  be  de- 
lighted with  the  volume."—- Scotsman. 


BOOKS  FOR   YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BY    G.   A.   HENTY. 
'Surely  Mr.  Henty  should  understand  boys'  tastes  better  than  any  man  living. 

—The  Times. 


THE    YOUNG    CARTHAGINIAN: 

A  Story  of  the  Times  of  Hannibal.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  12 
full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  J.  Staniland,  E.I.  Crown  8vo, 
cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1-50. 

Boys  reading  the  history  of  the  Punic  Wars  have  seldom  a  keen  appre- 
ciation of  the  merits  of  the  contest.  That  it  was  at  first  a  struggle  for 
empire,  and  afterwards  for  existence  on  the  part  of  Carthage,  that  Hanni- 
bal was  a  great  and  skilful  general,  that  he  defeated  the  Romans  at  Trebia, 
Lake  Trasimenus,  and  Cannae,  and  all  but  took  Rome,  represents  pretty 
nearly  the  sum  total  of  their  knowledge. 

To  let  them  know  more  about  this  momentous  struggle  for  the  empire  of 
the  world  Mr.  Henty  has  written  this  story,  which  not  only  gives  in  graphic 
style  a  brilliant  description  of  a  most  interesting  period  of  history,  but  is  a 
tale  of  exciting  adventure  sure  to  secure  the  interest  of  the  reader. 

"The  effect  of  an  interesting  story, 
well  constructed  and  vividly  told,  is 
enhanced  by  the  picturesque  quality  of 
the  scenic  background.  From  first  to 
last  nothing  stays  the  interest  of  the 
narrative.  It  bears  us  along  as  on  a 
stream,  whose  current  varies  in  direc- 


tion, but  never  loses  its  force."— Safur- 
day  Review. 

"Ought  to  be  popular  with  boys  who 
are  not  too  ill  instructed  or  too  dandi- 
fied to  be  affected  by  a  graphic  picture 
of  the  days  and  deeds  of  Hannibal."— 
Athenceum. 


WITH    WOLFE  IN   CANADA: 

Or,  The  Winning  of  a  Continent.     By  G.  A.  Henty.     With  12 
full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne.   Crown  8vo,  cloth 
elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1-50. 
In  the  present  volume  Mr,  Henty  gives  an  account  of  the  struggle  be- 
tween Britain  and  France  for  supremacy  in  the  North  American  continent. 
On  the  issue  of  this  war  depended  not  only  the  destinies  of  North  Ame- 
rica, but  to  a  large  extent  those  of  the  mother  countries  themselves.     The 
fall  of  Quebec  decided  that  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  should  predominate  in 
the  New  World;  that  Britain,  and  not  France,  should  take  the  lead  among 
the  nations  of  Europe;  and  that  English  and  American  commerce,   the 
English  language,  and  English  literature,  should  spread  right  round  the 
globe. 


"It  is  not  only  a  lesson  in  history  as 
instructively  as  it  is  graphically  told, 
but  also  a  deeply  interesting  and  often 
thrilling  tale  of  adventure  and  peril  by 
flood  and  fie\±"— Illustrated  London 
News. 


"  A  model  of  what  a  boy's  story-book 
should  be.  Mr.  Henty  has  a  great  power 
of  infusing  into  the  dead  facts  of  his- 
tory new  life,  and  his  books  supply 
useful  aids  to  study  as  well  as  amuse- 
ment."—5cAooZ  Guardian.  „ 
A  2 


£OOES  FOR   YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BY   G.  A.  HENTY. 

''  The  brightest  of  all  the  living  writers  whose  office  it  is  to  enchant  the  boys." 

—Christian  Leader. 


THROUGH  THE  FBAY: 

A  Story  of  the  Luddite  Eiots.    By  G.  A.  Henty.    With  12  full- 
page  Illustrations  by  H.  ]SI.  Paget,  in  black  and  tint.    Crown 
8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1'50. 
The  author  m  this  story  has  followed  the  lines  which  he  worked  out  so 
successfully  in  Facing  Death.     As  in  that  story  he  shows  that  there  are 
victories  to  be  won  in  peaceful  fields,  and  that  steadfastness  and  tenacity 
are  virtues  which  tell  in  the  long  run.    The  story  is  laid  in  Yorkshire  at  the 
commencement  of  the  present  century,  when  the  high  price  of  food  induced 
by  the  war  and  the  introduction  of  machinery  drove  the  working-classes 
to  desperation,  and  caused  them  to  band  themselves  in  that  wide-spread 
organization  known  as  the  Luddite  Society.     There  is  an  abundance  of 
adventure  in  the  tale,  but  its  chief  interest  lies  in  the  character  of  the 
hero,  and  the  manner  in  which  by  a  combination  of  circumstances  he  is 
put  on  trial  for  his  life,  but  at  last  comes  victorious  "through  the  fray." 


"Mr.  Henty  inspires  a  love  and  ad- 
miration for  straightforwardness,  truth, 
and  courage.  This  is  one  of  the  best  of 
the  many  good  books  Mr.  Henty  has 
produced,  and  deserves  to  be  classed 
with  his  Facing  Death."— Standard. 


"  The  interest  of  the  story  never  flags. 
Were  we  to  propose  a  competition  for 
the  best  list  of  novel  writers  for  boys 
we  have  little  doubt  that  Mr.  Henty's 
name  would  stand  &rst."— Journal  0/ 
Education. 


TRUE  TO    THE    OLD  FLAG: 

A  Tale  of  the  American  War  of  Independence.      By  G.  A. 
Henty.    With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne, 
in  black  and  tint.   Crown  8vo,  cl.  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1-50. 
In  this  story  the  author  has  gone  to  the  accounts  of  officers  who  took  part 
in  the  conflict,  and  lads  will  find  that  in  no  war  in  which  American  and  Bri- 
tish soldiers  have  been  engaged  did  they  behave  with  greater  courage  and 
good  conduct.     The  historical  portion  of  the  book  being  accompanied  with 
numerous  thrilling  adventures  with  the  redskins  on  the  shores  of  Lake 
Huron,  a  story  of  exciting  interest  is  interwoven  with  the  general  narrative 
and  carried  through  the  book. 


"Does  justice  to  the  pluck  and  deter- 
mination of  the  British  soldiers  during 
the  unfortunate  struggle  against  Ameri- 
can emancipation.  The  son  of  an  Ameri- 
can loyalist,  who  remains  true  to  our  flag, 
falls  among  the  hostile  redskins  in  that 
very  Huron  country  which  has  been  en- 
deared to  us  by  the  exploits  of  Hawk- 
eye  and  Chingachgook." — The  Times. 


"  Mr.  G.  A.  Henty's  extensive  personal 
experience  of  adventures  and  moving 
incidents  by  flood  and  field,  combined 
with  a  gift  of  picturesque  narrative, 
make  his  books  always  welcome  visitoi-s 
in  the  home  circle." — Daily  News. 

"  Very  superior  in  every  way.  The  book 
is  almost  unique  in  its  claas  in  having 
illustrative  maps." — Saturday  Review. 


BOOKS  FOR   YOUyO  PEOPLE. 


BY    G.    A.    HENTY. 

■  Mr.  Henty  is  the  king  of  story-tellers  for  hoys."— Sivord  and  Trowel. 


IN   FREEDOM'S   CAUSE: 

A  Story  of  "Wallace  and  Bruce.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne,  in  black  and 
tint.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  |1'50. 

In  this  story  the  author  relates  the  stirring  tale  of  the  Scottish  "War  of 
Independence.  The  extraordinary  valour  and  personal  prowess  of  Wallace 
and  Bruce  rival  the  deeds  of  the  mythical  heroes  of  chivalry,  and  indeed 
at  one  time  Wallace  was  ranked  with  these  legendary  personages.  The 
researches  of  modern  historians  have  shown,  however,  that  he  was  a  living, 
breathing  man— and  a  valiant  champion.  The  hero  of  the  tale  fought  under 
both  Wallace  and  Bruce,  and  while  the  strictest  historical  accuracy  has 
been  maintained  with  respect  to  public  events,  the  work  is  full  of  "hair- 
breadth 'scapes  "  and  wild  adventure. 


"Mr.  Henty  has  broken  new  ground 
as  an  historical  novelist.  His  tale  is  full 
of  stirring  action,  and  will  commend 
itself  to  boys." — Aihenceum. 

"It  is  written  in  the  author's  best 
style.  Full  of  the  wildest  and  most 
remarkable  achievements,  it  is  a  tale  of 
great  interest,  which  a  boy,  once  he  has 


begun  it,  will  not  willingly  put  on  one 
side. " — The  Schoolmaster. 

"Scarcely  anywhere  have  we  seen  in 
prose  a  more  lucid  and  spirit  stirring 
description  of  Bannockburn  than  the  one 
with  which  the  author  fittingly  closes  his 
volume." — Dumfries  Standard. 


UNDER  DRAKE'S  FLAG. 


A  Tale  of  the  Spanish  Main.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  Illustrated 
by  12  full-page  Pictures  by  Gordon  Browne,  in  black  and 
tint.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1-50. 

A  story  of  the  days  when  England  and  Spain  struggled  for  the  supre- 
macy of  the  sea,  and  England  carried  off  the  palm.  The  heroes  sail  as  lads 
with  Drake  in  the  expedition  in  which  the  Pacific  Ocean  was  first  seen  by 
an  Englishman  from  a  tree-top  on  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  and  in  his  great 
voyage  of  circumnavigation.  The  historical  portion  of  the  story  is  abso- 
lutely to  be  relied  upon,  but  this,  although  very  useful  to  lads,  will  perhaps 
be  less  attractive  than  the  great  variety  of  exciting  adventure  through 
which  the  young  adventurers  pass  in  the  course  of  their  voyages. 


"A  stirring  book  of  Drake's  time,  and 
just  such  a  book  as  the  youth  of  this 
maritime  country  are  likely  to  prize 
highly." — Daily  Telegraph. 

"  Ned  in  the  coils  of  the  boa-constrictor 
is  a  wonderful  picture.     A  boy  must  be 


hard  to  please  if  he  wishes  for  anything 
more  exciting." — Pall  Mall  Gazette. 

' '  A  book  of  adventure,  where  the  hero 
meets  with  experience  enough  one  would 
think  to  turn  his  hair  gray." — Harper's 
Monthly  Magazine. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOU^'G  PEOPLE. 


BY   G.  A.   HENTY. 

Mr.  Heuty's  books  for  boys  are  always  admivahle."— Birmingham  Post. 


THE   CAT  OF  BUBASTES: 

A  Story  of  Ancient  Egypt.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  8  full-page 
Illustrations  by  J.  R.  Weguelin.  Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant, 
olivine  edges,  $1-50. 

In  availing  himself  of  the  pictured  records  of  Egyptian  life  and  history, 
Mr.  Henty  has  produced  a  story  which  will  give  young  readers  an  unsur- 
passed insight  into  the  customs  of  one  of  the  greatest  of  the  ancient  peoples. 
Amuba,  a  prince  of  the  Rebu  nation  on  the  shores  of  the  Caspian,  is  carried 
with  his  charioteer  Jethro  into  slavery.  They  become  inmates  of  the  house 
of  Ameres,  the  Egyptian  high-priest,  and  are  happy  in  his  sei'vice  until  the 
priest's  son  accidentally  kills  the  sacred  cat  of  Bubastes.  In  an  outburst 
of  popular  fury  Ameres  is  killed,  and  it  rests  with  Jethro  and  Amuba  to 
secure  the  escape  of  the  high-priest's  son  and  daughter.  After  many 
dangers  they  succeed  in  crossing  the  desert  to  the  Red  Sea,  and  eventually 
making  their  way  to  the  Caspian. 

THE  DBAGON  AND    THE  RAVEN: 


Or,  The  Days  of  King  Alfred.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  8  full- 
page  Illustrations  by  C.  J.  Staniland,  R.I.,  in  black  and 
tint.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  $1*50. 

In  this  story  the  author  gives  an  account  of  the  desperate  struggle 
between  Saxon  and  Dane  for  supremacy  in  England,  and  presents  a  vi-vdd 
picture  of  the  misery  and  ruin  to  which  the  country  was  reduced  b}''  the 
ravages  of  the  sea-wolves.  The  hero  of  the  story,  a  young  Saxon  thane, 
takes  part  in  aU  the  battles  fought  by  King  Alfred,  and  the  incidents  in 
his  career  are  unusually  varied  and  exciting.  He  is  driven  from  his  home, 
takes  to  the  sea  and  resists  the  Danes  on  their  own  element,  and  being 
pursued  by  them  up  the  Seine,  is  present  at  the  long  and  desperate  siege 
of  Paz-is. 


"Perhaps  the  best  story  of  the  early 
days  of  England  which  has  yet  been 
told." — Court  Journal. 

"A  well-built  superstructure  of  fic- 
tion on  an  interesting  substratum  of 
fact.  Treated  in  a  manner  most  attrac- 
tive to  the  boyish  reader."— J. f/ie?ice?«m. 

"A  story  that  may  justly  be  styled 
remarkable.  Boys,  in  reading  it,  will  be 
surprised  to  find  how  Alfred  persevered, 
through  years  of  bloodshed  and  times 


of  peace,  to  rescue  his  people  from  the 
thraldom  of  the  Danes.  AVe  hope  the 
book  will  soon  be  widely  known  in  all 
our  schools.  "—Schoolmaster. 

"We  know  of  no  popular  book  in 
which  the  stirring  incidents  of  the  reign 
of  the  heroic  Sa.\on  king  are  made  ac- 
cessible to  young  readers  as  they  are 
here.  Air.  Henty  has  made  a  book  which 
will  afford  much  delight  to  boys,  and  is 
of  genuine  historic  valwe."— Scotsman. 


BOOKS  FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BY   G.    A.    HENTY. 

'Mr.  Henty  is  one  of  our  most  successful  Avriters  of  historical  tales.  '—Scotsman. 


IN  THE  REIGN  OF  TERROR: 

The  Adventures  of  a  Westminster  Boy.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  Schonberg.  Crown  8vo,  cloth 
elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1"50. 

Harry  Sand  with,  a  Westminster  boy,  becomes  a  resident  at  the  chateau 
of  a  French  marquis,  and  after  various  adventures  accompanies  the  family 
to  Paris  at  the  crisis  of  the  Revolution.  Imprisonment  and  death  reduce 
their  number,  and  the  hero  finds  himself  beset  by  perils  with  the  three 
young  daughters  of  the  house  in  his  charge.  The  stress  of  trial  brings  out 
in  him  all  the  best  English  quaUties  of  pluck  and  endurance,  and  after 
hair-breadth  escapes  they  reach  Nantes.  There  the  girls  are  condemned 
to  death  in  the  coflBn-ships  Les  Noyades,  but  are  saved  by  the  unfailing 
courage  of  their  boy-protector. 


"Harry  Sandwith,  the  ^Yestminste^ 
boy,  may  fairly  be  said  to  beat  ilr. 
Henty's  record.  His  adventures  will 
delight  boys  by  the  audacity  and  peril 
they  depict.  .  .  .  The  story  is  one  of 
Mr.  Henty's  best." — Saturday  Revieiv. 

"The  interest  of  this  story  of  the 
Reign  of  Terror  lies  in  the  way  in 


which  the  difficulties  and  perils  Harry 
has  to  encounter  bring  out  the  he- 
roic and  steadfast  qualities  of  a  brave 
nature.  Again  and  again  the  last  ex- 
tremity seems  to  have  been  reached, 
but  his  unfailing  courage  triumphs 
over  all.  It  is  an  admirable  boy's 
hook."— Birmingham  Post. 


ST.   GEORGE  FOR   ENGLAND: 

A  Tale  of  Cressy  and  Poitiers.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  8  full- 
page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne,  in  black  and  tint. 
Crown  Svo,  cloth  elegant,  $1-50. 

No  portion  of  English  history  is  more  crowded  with  great  events  than  that 
of  the  reign  of  Edward  III.  Cressy  and  Poitiers  laid  France  prostrate  at 
the  feet  of  England;  the  Spanish  fleet  was  dispersed  and  destroyed  by  a 
naval  battle  as  remarkable  in  its  incidents  as  was  that  which  broke  up  the 
Armada  in  the  time  of  Elizabeth.  Europe  was  ravaged  by  the  dreadful 
plague  known  as  the  Black  Death,  and  France  was  the  scene  of  the  terrible 
peasant  rising  called  the  Jacquerie.  All  these  stirring  events  are  treated 
by  the  author  in  St.  George  for  England.  The  hero  of  the  story,  although 
of  good  family,  begins  life  as  a  London  apprentice,  but  after  countless 
adventures  and  perils,  becomes  by  valour  and  good  conduct  the  squire, 
and  at  last  the  trusted  friend  of  the  Black  Prince. 


"Mr.  Henty  has  developed  for  him- 
self a  tj-pe  of  historical  novel  for  boys 
which  bids  fair  to  supplement,  on  their 
behalf,  the  historical  labours  of  Sir 
Walter  Scott  in  the  land  of  fiction."— 
Standard. 


"Mr.  Henty  as  a  boy's  story-teller 
stands  in  the  very  foremost  rank.  W'ith 
plenty  of  scope  to  work  upon  he  has 
produced  a  strong  story  at  once  in- 
structive and  entertaining."— G^Zas^row 
Herald. 


10 


BOOKS  FOR   YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BY   G.   A.    HENTY. 

Mr.  Henty  is  the  prince  of  story-tellers  for  boys. "— SAe/^eW  Independent. 


A    FINAL    BECKONING: 

A  Tale  of  Bush  Life  in  Australia.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  B.  Wollen.  Crown  8vo,  cloth 
elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1-50. 

In  this  book  Mr.  Henty  has  again  left  the  battlefields  of  history  and  has 
written  a  story  of  adventure  in  Australia  in  the  early  days  of  its  settlenaent. 

The  hero,  a  young  English  lad,  after  rather  a  stormy  boyhood,  emigrates 
to  Australia,  and  gets  employment  as  an  oflBcer  in  the  mounted  pohce. 

A  few  years  of  active  work  on  the  frontier,  where  he  has  many  a  brush 
with  both  natives  and  bush-rangers,  gain  him  promotion  to  a  captaincy, 
and  he  eventually  settles  down  to  the  peaceful  life  of  a  squatter. 


"Mr.  Henty  has  never  published  a 
more  readable,  a  more  carefully  con- 
structed, or  a  better  written  story  than 
this."— Sipec^a  tor. 

"Exhibits  Mr.  Henty's  talent  as  a 
story-teller  at  his  best.  .  .  .  The  draw- 
ings possess  the  uncommon  merit  of 
really  illustrating  the  text." — Saturday 
Review. 


"All  boys  will  read  this  story  with 
eager  and  unflagging  interest.  The 
episodes  are  in  Mr.  Henty's  verj'  best 
vein — graphic,  exciting,  realistic ;  and, 
as  in  all  Mr.  Henty's  books,  the  tend- 
ency is  to  the  formation  of  an  honour- 
able, manly,  and  even  heroic  character. " 
—Birmingham  Post. 


THE  BRAVEST  OF  THE  BBAVE: 

Or  With  Peterborough  in  Spain.     By  G.  A,  Henty.     With 

8  full-page  Illustrations  by  H.  M.  Paget.     Crown  8vo,  cloth 

elegant,  $l"oU. 

There  are  few  great  leaders  whose  lives  and  actions  have  so  completely 

fallen  into  oblivion  as  those  of  the  Earl  of  Peterborough.     This  is  largely 

due  to  the  fact  that  they  were  overshadowed  by  the  glory  and  successes 

of  INIarlborough.     His  career  as  General  extended  over  little  more  than 

a  year,  and  yet,  in  that  time,  he  showed  a  genius  for  warfai-e  which  has 

never  been  surpassed,  and  performed  feats  of  daring  worthy  of  the  leaders 

of  chivalry. 


"  Mr.  Henty  has  done  good  service  in 
endeavouring  to  redeem  from  oblivion 
the  name  of  the  great  soldier,  Charles 
Mordaunt,  Earl  of  Peterborough.  The 
young  recruit.  Jack  Stihvell,  worthily 
earns  his  commission  and  tells  his  tale 
with  spirit."— Athenoeum. 

"Mr.  Henty  never  loses  sight  of  the 
moral  purpose  of  his  work — to  enforce 
the  doctrine  of  courage  and  truth, 
mercy  and  lovingkindness,  as  indispens- 
able to  the  making  of  a  gentleman. 


Lads  will  read  The  Bravest  of  the  Brave 
with  pleasure  and  profit;  of  that  we  are 
quite  s,\xve."  —Daily  Telegraph. 

"In  describing  the  brief,  brilliant, 
most  extraordinary  campaigns  of  this 
chivalric  and  picturesque  commander 
Mr.  Henty  is  in  his  element,  and  the 
boy  who  does  not  follow  the  animated 
and  graphic  narrative  with  rapture 
must  sadly  lack  spirit  and  pluck."— 
Civil  Service  Gazette. 


BOOKS  FOR   YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


11 


BY   G.  A.   HENTY. 

"Among  writers  of  stories  of  adventure  for  boys  Mr.  Henty  stands  in  the  very 
first  TAnk."— Academy. 


FOB   NAME  AND   FAME: 

Or,  Through  Afghan  Passes.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  8  full- 
page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne,  in  black  and  tint. 
Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  $1*50. 

This  is  an  interesting  story  of  the  last  war  in  Afghanistan.  The  hero, 
after  being  wrecked  and  going  through  many  stirring  adventures  among 
the  INIalays,  finds  his  way  to  Calcutta,  and  enlists  in  a  regiment  proceed- 
ing to  join  the  army  at  the  Afghan  passes.  He  accompanies  the  force 
under  General  Eoberts  to  the  Peiwar  Kotal,  is  wounded,  taken  prisoner, 
and  carried  to  Cabul,  whence  he  is  transfen-ed  to  Candahar,  and  takes 
part  in  the  final  defeat  of  the  army  of  Ayoub  Khan. 


"Mr.  Henty's  pen  is  never  more  eflfec- 
tively  employed  than  when  he  is  de- 
scribing incidents  of  warfare.  The  best 
feature  of  the  book — apart  from  the 
interest  of  its  scenes  of  adventure— is 
its  honest  effort  to  do  justice  to  the 
patriotism  of  the  Afghan  people."— 
Daily  Xeivs. 

"Here  we  have  not  only  a  rousing 


story,  replete  with  all  the  varied  forms 
of  excitement  of  a  campaign,  but  an  in- 
structive history  of  a  recent  war,  and, 
what  is  still  more  useful,  an  account  of 
a  territory  and  its  inhabitants  which 
must  for  a  long  time  possess  a  supreme 
interest  for  Englishmen,  as  being  the 
key  to  our  Indian  Empire."— G'^as^row; 
Herald. 


BY  SHEEB   PLUCK: 

A  Tale  of  the  Ashanti  War.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  8  full-page 
Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne,  in  black  and  tint.  Crown 
8vo,  cloth  elegant,  $1*50. 

The  Ashanti  Campaign  seems  but  an  event  of  yesterday,  but  it  happened 
when  the  generation  now  rising  up  were  too  young  to  have  made  them- 
selves acquainted  with  its  incidents.  The  author  has  woven,  in  a  tale  of 
thrilling  interest,  all  the  details  of  the  campaign,  of  which  he  was  himself 
a  witness.  His  hero,  after  many  exciting  adventures  in  the  interior,  finds 
himself  at  Coomassie  just  before  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  is  detained  a 
prisoner  by  the  king,  is  sent  down  vnih.  the  army  which  invaded  the  British 
Protectorate,  escapes,  and  accompanies  the  English  expedition  on  their 
march  to  Coomassie. 


"  Mr.  Henty  keeps  up  his  reputation  as 
a  writer  of  boys'  stories.  '  By  Sheer  Pluck ' 
will  be  eagerly  read." — Athenmi.m. 

"  The  book  is  one  which  will  not  only 
sustain,  but  add  to  Mr.  Henty's  rei^uta- 
tion." — Tfu  Standard. 


"Written  with  a  simple  directness, 
force,  and  purity  of  style  worthy  of  De- 
foe. Morally,  the  book  is  everything  that 
could  be  desired,  setting  before  the  boys 
a  bright  and  bracing  ideal  of  the  English 
gentleman." — Christian  Leader. 


12 


WOES  FOR   YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BY   G.   A.    HENTY. 

"Mr.  Heuty's  books  are  always  welcome  visitors  in  the  home  circle."— DaiZy 
News.  

FACING   DEATH: 

Or  the  Hero  of  the  Vaughan  Pit.  A  Tale  of  the  Coal  Miues. 
By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon 
Browne,  in  black  and  tint.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  1 1-50. 

"  Facing  Death  "  is  a  story  with  a  purpose.  It  is  intended  to  show  that 
a  lad  who  makes  up  his  mind  firmly  and  resolutely  that  he  will  rise  in  life, 
and  who  is  prepared  to  face  toil  and  ridicule  and  hardsliip  to  carry  out  his 
determination,  is  sure  to  succeed.  The  hero  of  the  story  is  a  typical  British 
boy,  dogged,  earnest,  generous,  and  though  "shamefaced"  to  a  degree,  is 
ready  to  face  death  in  the  discharge  of  duty.  His  is  a  character  for  imita- 
tion by  boys  in  every  station. 


"  The  tale  is  well  written  and  well 
illustrated,  and  there  is  much  reality 
in  the  characteTS."— Athenaeum. 

"If  any  father,  godfather,  clergyman, 


or  schoolmaster  is  on  the  look-out  for  a 
good  book  to  give  as  a  present  to  a  boy 
who  is  worth  his  salt,  this  is  the  book 
we  would  recommend."— Standard. 


OBANGB  AND    GBEEN: 

A  Tale  of  the  Boyue  and  Limerick.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne.  Crown  8vo, 
cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1'50. 

The  history  of  Ireland  has  assumed  such  immediate  interest  that  Mr. 
Henty's  fictional  treatment  of  one  of  its  important  crises  will  be  welcomed 
by  all  who  desire  that  the  young  should  realize  vividly  the  sources  of  many 
of  its  troubles.  The  story  is  the  record  of  two  typical  families  —  the 
Davenants,  who,  having  come  over  with  Strongbow,  had  allied  themselves 
in  feeling  to  the  original  inhabitants ;  and  the  Whitefoots,  who  had  been 
placed  by  Cromwell  over  certain  domains  of  the  Davenants.  In  the  chil- 
dren the  spirit  of  contention  has  given  place  to  friendship,  and  though 
they  take  opposite  sides  in  the  struggle  between  James  and  William,  their 
good-will  and  mutual  service  are  never  interrupted,  and  in  the  end  the 
Davenants  come  happily  to  their  own  again. 


"An  extremely  spirited  story,  based 
on  the  struggle  in  Ireland,  rendered 
memorable  by  the  defence  of  'Derry 
and  the  siege  of  Limerick.  "Saturday 
■Review. 

"The  work  is  not  only  amusing  and 
instructive,  but  it  is  also  one,  as  all 
Mr.  Henty's  books  are,  likely  to  make 
any  lad  desire  to  be  a  noble  and  use- 
ful member  of  society,  whether  he  be 


a  soldier  or  aught  else."— Practical 
Teacher. 

"  The  narrative  is  free  from  the  vice 
of  prejudice,  and  ripples  with  life  as 
vivacious  as  if  what  is  being  described 
were  really  passing  before  the  eye.  .  .  . 
Orange  and  Green  should  be  in  the 
hands  of  every  young  student  of  Irish 
history  without  delay.  "—Morning  News 
(Belfast). 


BOOKS  FOR   YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


13 


BY   G.    A.    HENTY. 

"Mr.  Henty  as  a  boys'  story-teller  stands  in  the  very  foremost  rank." 

—Glasgow  Herald. 

STURDY  AND    STRONG: 

Or,  How  George  Andrews  made  his  Way.     By  G.  A.  Henty. 

With  4  full-page  Illustrations  by  Egbert  Fowler.     Crown 
8vo,  cloth  extra. 

The  aim  of  the  story  is  to  show  how  steadfastness,  truth,  and  watchful- 
ness may  aid  a  lad  to  win  his  way  through  the  greatest  difficulties  and  be 
of  assistance  to  others  in  the  endeavour. 

George  Andrews  is  an  example  of  char- 
acter with  nothing  to  cavil  at,  and 
stands  as  a  good  instance  of  chivalry 
in  domestic  life."— TAe  Empire. 


"The  liistory  of  a  hero  of  everyday 
life,  whose  love  of  truth,  clothing  of 
modesty,  and  innate  pluck,  carry  him, 
natiu-ally,  from  poverty  to  affluence. 


YARNS    ON    THE   BEACH. 

By  G.  A.  Henty.     With  2  full-page  Illustrations.     Crown  8vo, 
cloth  extra. 


"This  little  book  should  find  special 
favour  among  boys.  The  yams  are  spun 
by  old  sailors,  and  while  full  of  romance 
and  adventure,  are  admirably  calcu- 
lated to  foster  a  manly  spirit."— i^c/io. 


"We  hope  Mr.  Henty  will  keep  his 
spinning-wheel  going  briskly  as  long  as 
we  can  have  such  yarns  as  '  Surly  Joe,' 
with  its  genuine  pathos  and  rich  full- 
bodied  humour."— Da i7y  Telegraph. 


BY    PROFESSOR    CHURCH. 


TWO    THOUSAND    YEARS   AGO: 

Or,  The  Adventures  of  a  Eoman  Boy.  By  Professor  A.  J.  Church. 
With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  Adrien  Marie.  Crown  8vo, 
cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1-50. 

Prof.  Church  has  in  this  story  sought  to  revivify  that  most  interesting 
period,  the  last  days  of  the  Roman  Republic.  The  hero,  Lucius  Marius,  is 
a  young  Roman  who  has  a  very  chequered  career,  being  now  a  captive  in 
the  hands  of  Spartacus,  again  an  officer  on  board  a  vessel  detailed  for  the 
suppression  of  the  pirates,  and  anon  a  captive  once  more,  on  a  pirate  ship. 
He  escapes  to  Tarsus,  is  taken  prisoner  in  the  war  with  Mithradates,  and 
detained  by  the  latter  in  Pontus  for  a  number  of  years. 

"  Adventures  well  worth  the  telling.  "  Entertaining  in  the  highest  degree 

The  book  is  extremely  entertaining  as  from  beginning  to  end,  and  full  of  ad- 
well  as  useful:  there  is  a  wonderful  venture  which  is  all  the  livelier  for 
freshness  in  the  Roman  scenes  and  its  close  connection  with  history." — 
characters.  "—Times.  Spectator. 


u 


BOOKS  FOR   YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BY   GEORGE    MANVILLE    FENN. 

"Mr.  Fenn  is  in  the  front  rank  of  writers  of  stories  for  hoys."— Liverpool 
Mermry 

DICK  0'   THE  FENS: 

A.  Eomance  of  the  Great  East  Swamp.     By  G,  Manville  Fenn. 

With  12  full -page  Illustrations  by  Frank  Dadd.     Crown 

8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1'50. 
A  tale  of  boy  life  in  the  old  Lincolnshire  Fens,  when  the  first  attempts 
were  made  to  reclaim  them  and  turn  the  reedy  swamps,  and  wild -fowl 
and  fish  haunted  pools  into  dry  land.  Dick  o'  the  Fens  and  Tom  o' 
Grirasey  are  the  sons  of  a  squire  and  a  farmer  living-  on  the  edge  of  one 
of  the  vast  wastes,  and  their  adventures  are  of  i;nusual  interest.  Sketches 
of  shooting  and  fishing  experiences  are  introduced  in  a  manner  which  should 
stimulate  the  faculty  of  observation  and  give  a  healthy  love  for  country 
life;  whUe  the  record  of  the  fen-men's  stealthy  resistance  to  the  great 
draining  scheme  is  fuU  of  the  keenest  interest.  The  ambushes  and  shots 
in  the  mist  and  dark,  the  incendiary  fires,  the  bursting  of  the  sea-wall, 
and  ^.bp  long-baffled  attempts  to  trace  the  lurking  foe,  are  described  with 
Mr.  Manville  Fenn's  wonted  skill  in  the  management  of  mystery. 

"We  should  say  that  in  Dick  o'  the 
Fens  Mr.  Manville  Fenn  has  very  nearly 
attained  perfection.     Life  in  the  Fen 


country  in  the  old  ante-drainage  days 
is  admirably  reproduced.  ...  Al- 
together we  have  not  of   late  come 


across  a  historical  fiction,  whether  in- 
tended for  boys  or  for  men,  which  de- 
serves to  be  so  heartily  and  unreservedly 
praised  as  regards  plot,  incidents,  and 
spirit  as  Dick  o'  the  Fens.  It  is  its  au- 
thor's masterpiece  as  yet." — Spectator. 


BBOWNSMITH'S  BOY. 


By  George  Manville  Fenn.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations 
by  Gordon  Browne,  in  black  and  tint.  Crown  8vo,  cloth 
elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1*50. 

The  career  of  "  Brownsmith's  Boy"  embraces  the  home  adventures  of 
an  orphan,  who,  having  formed  the  acquaintance  of  an  eccentric  old  gar- 
dener, accepts  his  offer  of  a  home  and  finds  that  there  is  plenty  of  romance 
in  a  garden,  and  much  excitement  even  in  a  joiiraey  now  and  then  to 
town.  In  a  half -savage  lad  he  finds  a  friend  who  shows  his  love  and  fidelity 
principally  by  pretending  to  be  an  enemy.  In  "Brownsmith's  Boy  "  there 
is  abundance  of  excitement  and  trouble  within  four  walls. 

"Brownsmith's  Boy  excels  all  the 
numerous  'juvenile'  books  that  the 
present  season  has  yet  produced."— 
Acadbmy. 

"jMt.  Fenn's  books  are  among  the 
best,  if  not  altogether  the  best,  of  the 
stories  for  boys.  Mr.  Fenn  is  at  his 
best  in  Brownsmith's  Boy.    The  story 


is  a  thoroughly  manly  and   healthy 
one." — Pictorial  World. 

"Brownsmith's  Boy  must  rank  among 
the  few  undeniably  good  boys'  books. 
He  will  be  a  very  dull  boy  indeed  who 
lays  it  down  without  wishing  that  it 
had  gone  on  for  at  least  100  pages 
more." — North  British  Mail. 


BOOEH  FOR   YOUNG  PEOPLE.  15 


BY   GEORGE   MANVILLE    FENN. 

"  sir.  Manville  Fenn  may  be  regarded  as  the  successor  in  boyhood's  affections 
of  Captain  Mayne  'SiQi&."— Academy. 


QUICKSILVER: 

Or  a  Boy  with  no  Skid  to  his  Wheel.  By  George  Manville 
Fenn.  With  10  full-page  Illustrations  by  Frank  Dadd. 
Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1-50. 

Dr.  Grayson  has  a  theoi-y  that  any  boy,  if  rightly  trained,  can  be  made 
into  a  gentleman  and  a  great  man;  and  in  order  to  confute  a  friendly 
objector  decides  to  select  from  the  workhouse  a  boy  to  experiment  with. 
He  chooses  a  boy  with  a  bad  reputation  but  with  excellent  instincts,  and 
adopts  him,  the  story  narrating  the  adventures  of  the  mercurial  lad  who 
thus  finds  himself  suddenly  lifted  several  degrees  in  the  social  scale.  The 
idea  is  novel  and  handled  with  Mr.  Manville  Fenn's  accustomed  cleverness, 
the  restless  boyish  nature,  with  its  inevitable  tendency  to  get  into  scrapes, 
being  sympathetically  and  often  humorously  drawn. 


DEVON  BOYS: 

A  Tale  of  the  North  Shore.  By  George  Manville  Fenn.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne.  Crown  8vo, 
cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1-50. 

The  adventures  of  Sep  Duncan  and  his  school  friends  take  place  in  the 
early  part  of  the  Georgian  era,  during  the  wars  between  England  and  France. 
The  scene  is  laid  on  the  picturesque  rocky  coast  of  North  Devon,  where  the 
three  lads  pass  through  m.any  perils  both  afloat  and  ashore.  Fishermen, 
smugglers,  naval  ofl&cers,  and  a  stem  old  country  surgeon  play  their  parts 
in  the  story,  which  is  one  of  honest  adventure  with  the  mastering  of  diffi- 
culties in  a  wholesome  manly  way,  mingled  with  sufficient  excitement  to 
satisfy  the  most  exacting  reader.  The  discovery  of  the  British  silver  mine 
and  its  working  up  and  defence  take  up  a  large  portion  of  the  storj-. 


"An  admirable  story,  as  remarkable 
for  the  individuality  of  its  young  heroes 
—the  cynical  Bob  Chowne  being  especi- 
ally good— as  for  the  excellent  descrip- 
tions of  coast  scenery  and  life  in  North 
Devon.  It  is  one  of  the  best  books  we 
have  seen  this  season." — Athenceum. 

"  Mr.  Fenn  writes  up  to  a  standard 
of  excellence  that  is  by  no  means  com- 
mon to  juvenile  literature,  and  equal 
praise  must  be  given  to  Mr.  Gordon 


Browne's  \igorous  and  expressive  illus- 
trations  If  we  do  not  envy  the 

boy  made  happy  by  Mr.  Fenn's  story, 
it  is  because  it  enables  us  to  share 
and  anticipate  his  delight."— Safwrday 
Review. 

"  We  do  not  know  that  Mr.  Fenn  has 
ever  reached  a  higher  level  than  he  has 
in  Devon  Boys.  It  must  be  put  in  the 
very  front  rank  of  Christmas  books.  "— 
Spectator. 


16  BOOKS  FOR   YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BY    GEORGE    MANVILLE    FENN. 

"There  is  a  freshness,  a  buoyancy,  a  heartiness  about  Mr.  Fenn's  writings."— Siandarrf. 

TBU    GOLD  UN  MAGNET: 

A  Tale  of  the  Land  of  the  Incas.  By  G.  Manville  Fenn. 
With  12  full-page  Pictures  by  Gordon  Browne,  in  black  and 
tint.  Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1-50. 
This  is  a  story  of  adventure  such  as  will  be  sure  to  be  attractive  to  most 
lads  of  quick  imagination,  and  like  most  of  ]\Ir.  Fenn's  stories  it  contains 
genuine  descriptive  passages  and  accurate  touches  of  natural  history, 
which  not  only  increase  its  interest  but  enhance  its  value.  The  tale  is  of 
a  romantic  lad  who  leaves  home  where  his  father  conducts  a  failing  busi- 
ness to  seek  his  fortune  in  South  America,  first  by  finding  his  uncle,  who 
is  owner  of  a  coffee  plantation  on  the  banks  of  the  Orinoco,  and  secondly 
by  endeavouring  to  discover  some  of  that  treasure  which  legends  declare 
was  ages  ago  hidden  by  the  Peruvian  rulers  and  the  priests  of  that  myste- 
rious country,  to  preserve  it  from  the  Spanish  invaders.  The  hero  of  the 
story  is  accompanied  by  a  faithful  companion,  who,  in  the  capacity  both 
of  comrade  and  henchman,  does  true  service,  and  shows  the  dogged  courage 
of  the  British  lad  during  the  strange  adventiu-es  which  befall  them.  The 
plot  of  the  story  is  simple,  but  the  movement  is  rapid  and  full  of  strange 
excitement.  There  are  few  lads  who  will  not  follow  it  with  keen  enjoy- 
ment from  beginning  to  end. 

BUNYIP    LAND: 

The  Story  of  a  Wild  Journey  in  New  Guinea.  By  G.  Man- 
ville Fenn.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon 
Browne.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  |l'60. 

"Bunyip  Land"  is  the  story  of  an  eminent  botanist,  who  ventures  into 
the  interior  of  New  Guinea  in  his  search  for  new  plants.  Years  pass  away, 
and  he  does  not  return;  and  though  supposed  to  be  dead,  his  young  wife 
and  son  refuse  to  believe  it ;  and  as  soon  as  he  is  old  enough  young  Joe 
goes  in  search  of  his  father,  accompanied  by  Jimmy,  a  native  black.  Their 
adventures  are  many  and  exciting,  but  after  numerous  peinls  they  discover 
the  lost  one,  a  prisoner  among  the  blacks,  and  bring  him  home  in  triumph. 


"Mr.  Fenn  deserves  the  thanks  of 
everybody  for  '  Bunyip  Land '  and  *  Meu- 
hardoc,'  and  we  may  venture  to  promise 
that  a  quiet  week  may  be  reckoned  on 
whilst  the  youngsters  have  such  fascinat- 
ing literature  provided  for  their  even- 
ings' amusement."— -Spec^a^or. 


"One  of  the  best  tales  of  adventure 
produced  by  any  living  writer,  combining 
the  inventiveness  of  Jules  Verne,  and  the 
solidity  of  character  and  earnestness  of 
spirit  which  have  made  the  English  vic- 
torious in  so  many  fields  of  labour  and 
research. " — Daily  Chronicle. 


BOOKS  FOR   YOUNG  PEOPLE.  17 


BY  GEORGE  MANVILLE  FENN. 

"Our  boys  know  Mr.  Fenn  well,  his  stories  having  won  for  him  a  foremost 
place  in  theii  estimation."— PaH  3Iall  Gazette. 


IN  THE  KING'S   NAME: 

Or  the  Cruise  of  the  Kestrel.  By  G.  Manville  Fenn.  Illus- 
trated by  12  full-page  Pictures  by  Gordon  Browne,  in  black 
and  tint.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1-50. 

"In  the  King's  Name"  is  a  spirited  story  of  the  Jacobite  times,  con- 
cerning the  adventures  of  Hilary  Leigh,  a  young  naval  officer  in  the 
preventive  service  off  the  coast  of  Sussex,  on  board  the  Kestrel.  Leigh 
is  taken  prisoner  by  the  adherents  of  the  Pretender,  amongst  whom  is  an 
early  friend  and  patron  who  desires  to  spare  the  lad's  life,  but  will  not  release 
him.     The  narrative  is  full  of  exciting  and  often  humorous  incident. 


"Mr.  Fenn  has  won  a  foremost  place 
among  writers  for  boys.  'In  the  King's 
Name'  is,  we  think,  the  best  of  ali  his 
productions  in  this  field."— Daiiy  News. 


"Told  with  the  freshness  and  verve 
which  characterize  all  Mr.  Fenn's  writ- 
ings and  put  him  in  the  front  rank  of 
writers  for  boys." — Standard. 


MEN II ABB  OC: 

A  Story  of  Cornish  Nets  and  Mines.  By  G.  Manville  Fenn. 
With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  C.  J.  Staniland,  E.I.,  in 
black  and  tint.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  $1-50. 

The  scene  of  this  story  of  boyish  aspiration  and  adventure  is  laid  among 
the  granite  piles  and  tors  of  Cornwall.  Here  amongst  the  hardy,  honest 
fishermen  and  miners  the  two  London  boys  are  inducted  into  the  secrets  of 
fishing  in  the  great  bay,  they  learn  how  to  catch  mackerel,  pollack,  and  conger 
with  the  line,  and  are  present  at  the  hauling  of  the  nets,  although  not  with- 
out incurring  many  serious  risks.  Adventures  are  pretty  plentiful,  but 
the  story  has  for  its  strong  base  the  development  of  character  of  the  three 
boys.  There  is  a  good  deal  of  quaint  character  throughout,  and  the 
sketches  of  Cornish  life  and  local  colouring  are  based  upon  experience  in 
the  bay,  whose  fishing  village  is  called  here  INIenhardoc.  This  is  a  thor- 
oughly English  story  of  phases  of  life  but  little  touched  upon  in  boys' 
literature  up  to  the  present  time. 


"They  are  real  living  boys,  with  the 
virtues  and  faults  which  characterize  the 
transition  stage  between  boyhood  and 
manhood.  The  Cornish  fishermen  are 
drawn  from  life,  they  are  i-acy  of  the  soil, 
salt  with  the  sea-water,  and  they  stand 
out  from  the  pages  in  their  jerseys  and 


sea-boots  all  sprinkled  with  silvery  pil- 
chard scales." — Spectator. 

"Mr.  Fenn  has  written  many  books  in 
his  time ;  he  has  not  often  written  one 
which  for  genuine  merit  as  a  story  for 
young  people  will  exceed  this." — Scots- 
man. 


18 


BOOKS  FOR   YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BY   GEORGE    MANVILLE    FENN. 

"  No  one  can  find  his  way  to  the  hearts  of  lads  more  readily  than  Mr.  Fenn." — 
Nottingham  Guardian. 

PATIENCJE    WINS: 

Or,  War  in  the  Works.  By  G.  Manville  Fenn.  With  8  full- 
page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne,  in  black  and  tint. 
Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  $1*50. 

This  is  a  graphic  narrative  of  factory  hfe  in  the  Black  Covmtry.  The 
hero,  Cob,  and  his  three  uncles,  engineers,  machinists,  and  inventors,  go 
down  to  Arrowfield  to  set  up  "a  works."  They  find,  however,  that  the 
workmen,  through  prejudice  and  ignorance,  are  determined  to  have  no 
new-fangled  machinery.  After  a  series  of  narrow  escapes  and  stu-ring 
encounters,  the  workmen  by  degrees  find  that  no  malice  is  borne  against 
them,  and  at  last  admiration  takes  the  place  of  hatred.  A  great  business  is 
built  up,  and  its  foundation  is  laid  on  the  good-will  of  the  men. 


•'An  excellent  story,  the  interest  be- 
ing sustained  from  first  to  last.  This 
is,  both  in  its  intention  and  the  way 
the  story  is  told,  one  of  the  best  books 
of  its  kind  which  has  come  before  us 
this  yenr." —Saturday  Review. 

"  Mr.  Fenn  is  at  his  best  in  '  Patience 
Wins.'  It  is  sure  to  prove  acceptable 
to  youthful  readers,  and  will  give  a  good 
idea  of  that  which  was  the  real  state  of 


one  of  our  largest  manufacturing  towns 
not  many  years  ago."— Guardian. 

"Mr.  Fenn  has  written  many  a  book 
for  boys,  but  never  has  he  hit  upon  a 
happier  plan  than  in  writing  this  story 
of  Yorkshire  factory  life.  The  whole 
book,  from  page  1  to  352,  is  all  aglow 
with  life,  the  scenes  varying  continu- 
ally with  kaleidoscopic  rapidity." — 
Pall  Mall  Gazette. 


NAT   THE  NATURALIST: 

A  Boy's  Adventures  in  the  Eastern  Seas.  By  G.  Manville 
Fenn.  Illustrated  by  8  full-page  Pictures  by  Gordon  Browne, 
in  black  and  tint.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  $1-50. 

This  is  a  pleasant  story  of  a  lad  who  has  a  great  desire  to  go  abroad  to 
seek  specimens  in  natural  history,  and  has  that  desire  gratified.  The 
boy  Nat  and  his  uncle  Dick  go  on  a  voyage  to  the  remoter  islands  of 
the  Eastern  seas,  and  their  adventures  there  are  told  in  a  truthful  and 
vastly  interesting  fashion,  which  will  at  once  attract  and  maintain  the 
earnest  attention  of  young  readers.  The  descriptions  of  Mr.  Ebony,  their 
black  comrade,  and  of  the  scenes  of  savage  life,  are  full  of  genuine  humour. 


"  Mr.  Manville  Fenn  has  here  hit  upon 
a  capital  idea.  .  .  .  This  is  among  the 
best  of  the  boys'  books  of  the  season."— 
The  Times. 

"  This  sort  of  book  encourages  inde- 
pendence of  character,  develops  resource, 
and  teaches  a  boy  to  keep  his  eyes  open." 
— Saturday  Review. 


"We  can  conceive  of  no  more  attrac- 
tive present  for  a  young  naturalist." — 
Land  and  Water. 

"The  late  Lord  Palmerston  used  to 
say  that  one  use  of  war  was  to  teach 
geography;  such  books  as  this  teach  it 
in  a  more  haiinless  and  cheaper  way." — 
Athenaeum. 


BOOKS  FOR   YOUNG  PEOPLE.  19 

BY    GEORGE    MANVILLE    FENN. 

"Mr.  Fenn  is  in  the  front  rank  of  writers  of  stories  for  ooy^."— Liverpool 
Mercury.  

MOTHER   CARETS  CHICKEN: 

Her  Voyage  to  the  Unknown  Isle.  By  G.  IVIanville  Fenn. 
With  8  full -page  Illustrations.  Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant, 
olivine  edges,  $1*50. 

A  stirring  story  of  adventure  in  the  Eastern  seas,  where  a  lad  shares  the 
perils  of  his  father,  the  captain  of  the  merchant  ship  The,  Petrel.  After 
touching  at  Singapore,  they  are  becalmed  off  one  of  the  tropic  isles,  where 
the  ship  is  attacked  and,  after  a  desperate  fight,  set  on  fire  by  Malay 
pirates.  They  escape  in  a  boat  and  drift  ashore  upon  a  beautiful  volcanic 
island,  where,  after  sundry  adventures,  they  come  upon  the  half-burned 
remains  of  the  ship,  out  of  whose  timbers  they  construct  a  small  vessel, 
but  when  on  the  point  of  sailing  are  discovered  by  the  Malays.  They  are 
in  great  peril,  when  a  volcanic  eruption,  while  increasing  their  danger, 
relieves  them  of  their  enemies,  and  they  finally  escape  and  reach  a  civilized 
port. 


"Jules  Verne  himself  never  con- 
structed a  more  marvellous  tale.  It 
contains  the  strongly  marked  features 
that  are  always  conspicuous  in  Mr. 
Fenn's   stories  — a  racy  humour,   the 


manly  vigour  of  his  sentiment,  and 
wholesome  moral  lessons.  For  any- 
thing to  match  his  realistic  touch  we 
must  go  to  Daniel  DqIoq."— Christian 
Leader. 


YUSSUF  THE   GUIDE: 

Being  the  Strange  Story  of  the  Travels  in  Asia  Minor  of  Burne 
the  Lawyer,  Preston  the  Professor,  and  Lawrence  the  Sick. 
By  G.  Manville  Fenn.  With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by 
John  Schonberg.     Crown  Svo,  cloth  elegant,  $1*50. 

Deals  with  the  stirring  incidents  in  the  career  of  La'wrence  Grange,  a 
lad  who  has  been  almost  given  over  by  the  doctors,  but  who  rapidly 
recovers  health  and  strength  in  a  journey  through  Asia  Minor  with  his 
guardians  "The  Professor"  and  "The  Lawyer."  Yussuf  is  their  guide; 
and  in  their  journeyings  through  the  wild  mountain  region  in  search  of 
the  ancient  cities  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans  they  penetrate  where  law  is 
disregarded,  and  finally  fall  into  the  hands  of  brigands.  Their  adventures 
in  this  rarely-traversed  romantic  region  are  many,  and  culminate  in  the 
travellers  being  snowed  up  for  the  winter  in  the  mountains,  from  which 
they  escape  while  their  captors  are  waiting  for  the  ransom  that  does  not 
come. 

"  Takes  its  readers  into  scenes  that 
will  have  great  novelty  and  attraction 
for  them,  and  the  experiences  with  the 
brigands  will  be  especially  delightful  to 
the  boyish  imagination."— o'cotsman. 


•'This  story  is  told  with  such  real 
freshness  and  vigour  that  the  reader 
feels  he  is  actually  one  of  the  party, 
sharing  in  the  fun  and  facing  the  dangers 
with  them."— PaZZ  Mall  Gazette. 


20  BOOKS  FOR   YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BY   SARAH    DOUDNEY. 


UNDER    FALSE    COLOURS. 

By  Sarah  Doudney.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by 
G.  G.  KiLBURNE.  CrowD  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1-50. 
A  story,  which,  while  it  is  eminently  suitable  for  girls'  reading  because 
of  the  purity  of  its  style,  its  genuine  pathos  and  healthy  sentiment,  has  in 
it  so  strong  a  dramatic  element  that  it  will  attract  readers  of  all  ages  and  of 
either  sex.  The  incidents  of  the  plot,  arising  from  the  thoughtless  indul- 
gence of  a  deceptive  freak,  are  exceedingly  natural,  and  the  keen  interest 
of  the  narrative  is  sustained  from  beginning  to  end.  It  is  worthy  of  the 
high  reputation  attained  by  the  author  as  a  writer  of  stories  interesting  as 
novels  and  destined  for  the  delight  of  the  home  circle. 


BY    ROSA    MULHOLLAND. 


GLANNETTA: 

A  Girl's   Story  of  Herself.      By   Eosa   Mulholland.      With 

8  full-page  Illustrations  by  Lockhart  Bogle.     Crown  Svo, 

cloth  elegant,  $1-50. 

The  daughter  of  an  Anglo-Irish  gentleman,  who  had  married  a  poor 

Swiss  girl,  was  stolen  as  an  infant  by  some  of  her  mother's  relatives.     The 

child  having  died,  they  afterwards  for  the  sake  of  gain  substitute  another 

child  for  it,  and  the  changeling,  after  becoming  a  clever  modeller  of  clay 

images,  is  suddenly  transferred  to  the  position  of  a  rich  heii-ess.      She 

develops  into  a  good  and  accomplished  woman,  and  though  the  imposture 

of  her  early  friends  is  finally  discovered,  she  has  gained  too  much  love  and 

devotion  to  be  really  a  sufferer  by  the  surrender  of  her  estates. 


GLRL    NELGHBOURS: 

Or,  The  Old  Fashion  and  the  New.   By  Sarah  Tytler,  author  of 

"  Citoyenne  Jacqueline,"  &c.     With  8  full-page  Illustrations 

by  C.  T.  Garland.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  extra,  ^1*50. 

A  story  specially  adapted  for  girls,  told  in  that  quaint  delightful  fashion 

which  has  made  Miss  Tytler's  former  books  so  popular  and  attractive. 

The  characters  of  the  Gui  Neighbours,  who  may  be  said  respectively  to 

illustrate  the  old  and  the  new  fashioned  method  of  education,  are  admirably 

delineated  ;  and  the  introduction  of  the  two  young  ladies  from  London,  who 

represent  the  modern  institutions  of  professional  nursing  and  schools  of 

cookery,  is  very  happily  effected. 


"  One  of  the  most  effective  and  quiet- 
ly humorous  of  Miss  Tytler's  stories. 
Girl  Neighbours  is  a  healthy  comedy, 


not  so  much  of  errors  as  of  prejudices 
got  rid  of,  very  healthy,  very  agreeable, 
and  very  well  written." — Spectator. 


BOOKS  FOR   YOUyO  PEOPLE.  21 

BY    HARRY   COLLINGWOOD. 

Mr.  G.  A.  Heuty  has  found  a  formidable  rival  in  Mr.  Colling^ood."— Academy. 


THE  LOG    OF  THE  ''FLYING  FISH.'' 

A  Story  of  Aerial  and  Submarine  Peril  and  Adventure.  By 
Harry  Collingwood.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by 
Gordon  Browne.    Crown  8vo,  cl.  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1*50. 

In  this  story  the  aim  of  the  author  has  been,  not  only  to  interest  and 
amuse,  but  also  to  stimulate  a  taste  for  scientific  study.  He  has  utilized 
natural  science  as  a  peg  whereon  to  hang  the  web  of  a  narrative  of  absorb- 
ing interest,  interweaA-ing  there\sath  sundry  very  striking  scientific  facts 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  provoke  a  desire  for  further  information. 

Professor  Von  Schalckenberg  constructs  a  gigantic  and  wonderful  ship, 
appropriately  named  the  Flying  Fish,  which  is  capable  of  navigating  not 
only  the  higher  reaches  of  the  atmosphere,  but  also  the  extremest  depths 
of  ocean ;  and  in  her  the  four  adventurers  make  a  voyage  to  the  North 
Pole,  and  to  a  hitherto  unexplored  portion  of  Central  Africa. 

In  common  with  all  this  author's  stories,  "The  Log  of  the  Flying  Fish"  is 
thoroughly  healthy  and  unexceptionable  in  tone,  and  may  be  unhesitatingly 
placed  in  the  hands  of  "our  boys,"  who  will  enjoy  in  its  perusal  a  literary 
treat  entirely  after  their  own  hearts. 


"The  Flying  Fish,  that  marvellous 
achievement  of  science,  actually  sur- 
passes all  Jules  Verne's  creations;  with 
incredible  speed  she  flies  through  the 
air,  skims  over  the  surface  of  the  water, 
and  darts  along  the  ocean  bed.  We 
strongly  recommend  our  school-boy 
friends  to  possess  themselves  of  her 
log. "— ^  the  nceum. 


"Is  full  of  even  more  vividly  re- 
counted adventures  than  those  which 
charmed  so  many  boy  readers  in  Pirate 
Island  and  Congo  Rovers.  .  .  .  There 
is  a  thrilling  adventure  on  the  preci- 
pices of  Mount  Everest,  when  the  ship 
floats  off  and  providentially  returns  by 
force  of  'gravitation.'"— J. cademy. 


MISSING: 

A  Tale  of  the  Merchant  Marine.  By  Harry  Collingwood. 
With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  H.  Overend.  Crown 
8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1*50. 

A  fine  Australian  cUpper  is  seized  by  the  crew ;  the  passengers  are  landed 
on  one  desert  island,  the  captain  and  a  junior  ofiicer  on  another ;  and  the 
young  hero  of  the  story  is  kept  on  board  to  navigate  the  ship.  The  muti- 
neers refit  the  ship  as  a  pirate  vessel  at  an  island  which  affords  them  con- 
venient shelter,  and  in  which  Ned  makes  the  discovery  of  an  old-world 
treasure-hoard.  At  length,  with  the  aid  of  a  repentant  member  of  the 
crew,  Xed  succeeds  in  carrying  off  the  ship.  In  the  meantime  the  captain 
and  his  associates  have  succeeded  in  rejoining  the  passengers,  and  they  are 
after  many  adventures  found  by  Ned. 


22  BOOKS  FOR   YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BY    HARRY   COLLINGWOOD. 

•'  Mr.  CoUingwood  has  established  his  reputation  as  a  first-rate  writer  of  sea- 
stories.  "Scotsman. 


THE  ROVER'S  SECRET: 

A  Tale  of  the  Pirate  Cays  and  Lagoons  of  Cuba.  By  Harry 
CoLLiNGWOOD.  With  8  full -page  Illustrations  by  W.  C. 
Symons.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  |l-50. 

The  hero  of  the  Rover's  Secret,  a  young  officer  of  the  British  navy,  nar- 
rates his  peculiar  experiences  in  childhood  and  his  subsequent  perils  and 
achievements:  the  nautiny  on  board  the  Hermione;  his  escape  with  a  com- 
panion to  La  Guayra,  their  seizure  by  the  Spaniards,  their  romantic  flight, 
and  the  strange  blunder  which  commits  them  to  a  cruise  to  the  head- 
quarters of  the  notorious  pirate  Merlani,  whose  ultimate  capture  and  con- 
fession come  about  in  a  way  as  exciting  as  unexpected. 

"  The  Rover's  Secret  is  by  far  the  best 
sea-story  we  have  read  for  years,  and  is 
certain  to  give  unalloyed  pleasure  to 
boys.  The  illustrations  are  fresh  and 
vigorous."— /Saiwrday  Review. 

"A  book  that  will  rejoice  the  hearts 
of  most  lads.   We  doubt  whether,  since 


the  days  of  Captain  Marryat,  there  has 
arisen  a  writer  who  combined  fertility 
of  invention  in  stirring  episodes,  with 
practical  knowledge  of  seafaring  life, 
in  the  degree  to  which  ilr.  CoUing- 
wood attains  in  this  volume." — Scottish 
Leader. 


THE  F IRATE  ISLAND: 

A  Story  of  the  South  Pacific.  By  Harry  Collingwood.  Illus- 
trated by  8  full-page  Pictures  by  C.  J.  Staniland  and  J.  E. 
Wells,  in  black  and  tint.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  $1*50. 

This  story  details  the  adventures  of  a  lad  who  was  found  in  his  infancy 
on  board  a  wreck,  and  is  adopted  by  a  fishennan.  By  a  deed  of  true  gal- 
lantry his  whole  destiny  is  changed,  and,  going  to  sea,  he  forais  one  of  a 
party  who,  after  being  burned  out  of  their  ship  in  the  South  Pacific,  and 
experiencing  great  hardship  and  suffering  in  their  boats,  are  picked  up 
by  a  pirate  brig  and  taken  to  the  "  Pirate  Island."  After  many  thrilling 
adventures,  they  ultimately  succeed  in  effecting  their  escape.  The  story 
depicts  both  the  Christian  and  the  manly  wtues  in  such  colours  as  will 
cause  them  to  be  admired— and  therefore  imitated. 


"A  capital  story  of  the  sea;  indeed 
in  our  opinion  the  author  is  superior 
in  some  respects  as  a  marine  novelist 
to  the  better  known  Mr.  Clarke  Rus- 
sell."—TAe  Times. 

"  The  best  of  these  books.  .  .  .  The 
events  are  described  with  minuteness 
and  care.  The  result  is  a  very  amusing 
book."— -Saturday  Review. 


"Told  in  the  most  vivid  and  graphic 
language.  It  would  be  difficult  to  find  a 
more  thoroughly  delightful  gift-book." 
—The  Guardian. 

"  One  of  the  very  best  books  for  boys 
that  we  have  seen  for  a  long  time:  its 
author  stands  far  m  advance  of  any 
other  writer  for  boys  as  a  teller  of 
stories  of  the  sea.  "—The  Standard. 


BOOKS  FOR  rOU^'G  PEOPLE. 


23 


BY    HARRY    COLLINGWOOD. 

"  Stands  far  in  advance  of  any  other  writer  for  boys  as  a  teller  of  sea  stories." 

—Sta7idarcU 


THE    CONGO    B OVERS: 


A  Tale  of  the  Slave  Squadrou.  By  Harry  Colling  wood. 
With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  Schoxberg,  in  black  and 
tint.     Crown  8vo,  cloth  extra,  $1-50. 

The  scene  of  this  tale  is  laid  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa,  and  in  the 
lower  reaches  of  the  Congo;  the  characteristic  scenery  of  the  great  river 
being  delineated  with  wonderful  accuracy  and  completeness  of  detail. 
The  hero  of  the  story — a  midshipman  on  board  one  of  the  ships  of  the  slave 
squadron — after  being  effectually  laughed  out  of  his  boyish  vanity,  develops 
into  a  lad  possessed  of  a  large  share  of  sound  common  sense,  the  exercise 
of  which  enables  him  to  render  much  valuable  service  to  his  sujDerior  officers 
in  unmasking  a  most  daring  and  successful  ruse  on  the  part  of  the  slavers. 

one  that  boys  will  be  sure  to  read 
throughout  with  pleasure,  and  with  ad- 
vantage, also,  to  their  morals  and  their 
imaginations." — Academy. 

"  Xo  better  sea  story  has  lately  been 
written  than  the  Congo  Rovers.  It  is 
as  original  as  any  boy  could  desire." — 
Morning  Post. 


"Mr.  Collingwood  carries  us  off  for 
another  cruise  at  sea,  in  'The  Congo 
Rovers,'  and  boys  will  need  no  press- 
ing to  join  the  daring  crew,  which  seeks 
adventures  and  meets  with  any  number 
of  them  in  the  forests  and  pestilential 
fogs  of  the  Congo."— r/ie  Times. 

"We  can  heartily  recommend  it  as 


BY    F.    FRANKFORT    MOORE. 


UNDER   HATCHES: 

Or  Ned  "Woodthorpe's  Adventures.  By  F.  Frankfort  Moore. 
With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  A.  Forestier.  Crown  8vo, 
cloth  elegant,  olivine  edges,  $1-50. 

In  rescuing  another  lad  from  drowning,  Ned  Woodthorpe  is  compelled 
to  take  refuge  in  a  hght-ship,  fi-om  which  he  is  involuntarily  transferred  to 
an  outward-bound  convict-ship.  After  a  series  of  exciting  events,  in  which 
Bowkitt,  an  innocent  convict,  plays  a  brilliant  part,  the  convicts  and 
mutinous  crew  obtain  the  mastery  under  the  leadership  of  a  fanatical 
gold-seeker.  The  officers,  Ned,  and  Bowkitt  are  set  adrift  in  the  cutter, 
and  eventually  land  on  a  desert  island,  to  which  also  the  mutineers  find 
their  way.  By  the  want  of  discipUne  of  the  latter,  opportunity  is  afforded 
for  the  daring  recapture  of  the  ship,  and  Ned  and  his  friends  escape  from 
the  island. 


24  BOOKS  FOR   YOUNG  PEOPLE. 


BY   ALICE    CORKRAN. 


DOWN    THE    SNOW   STAIRS: 

Or,  From  Good-night  to  Good-morning.  By  Alice  Corkran. 
With  60  character  Ilhistrations  by  Gordon  Browne.  Square 
crown  8vo,  cloth  elegant,  gilt  edges,  $1*50. 

This  is  a  remarkable  story :  full  of  vivid  fancy  and  quaint  originality. 
In  its  most  fantastic  imaginings  it  carries  with  it  a  sense  of  reality,  and 
derives  a  singular  attraction  from  that  combination  of  simplicity,  origi- 
nality, and  subtle  humour,  which  is  so  much  appreciated  by  lively  and 
thoughtful  children.  Children  of  a  larger  growth  -nill  also  be  deeply 
interested  in  Kitty's  strange  journey :  and  her  wonderful  experiences 
amidst  the  extraordinary  people  whom  she  meets.  The  work  is  profusely 
illustrated  by  an  artist  whose  facile  pencil  has  portrayed  alike  the  grace- 
ful and  the  grotesque,  the  images  of  goblin  and  fairy  land  and  the 
semblances  of  child  hfe. 

upon  every  one  of  its  pages  the  signet 
mark  of  genius.  ...  All  is  told  with 
such  simplicity  and  perfect  natural- 
ness that  the  dream  appears  to  be  a 
solid  reality.  It  is  indeed  a  Little  Pil- 
grim's Progress."— CAr?'s«ian  Leader. 


"A  fascinating  wonder-book  for  chil- 
dren. "—A  theticexim. 

"Among  all  the  Christmas  volumes 
which  the  year  has  brought  to  our 
table  this  one  stands  out  facile  prin- 
ceps—a  gem  of  the  first  water,  bearing 


BY  ASCOTT   R.   HOPE. 


THE  WIGWAM  AND   THE  WAR-PATH: 

Stories  of  the  Eed  Indians.  By  Ascott  E.  Hope.  With  8  full- 
page  Pictures  by  Gordon  Browne,  in  black  and  tint.  Crown 
8vo,  cloth  elegant,  $r.50. 

The  interest  taken  by  boys  in  stories  of  the  North  American  Indians  is 
probably  as  keen  as  ever.  At  all  events  the  works  of  Fenimore  Cooper  and 
other  writers  about  the  red  men  and  the  wild  hunters  of  the  forests  and 
prairies  are  still  among  the  most  popular  of  boys'  books.  "The  Wigwam 
and  the  War-path"  consists  of  stories  of  Red  Indians  which  are  none  the 
less  romantic  for  being  true.  They  are  taken  from  the  actual  records  of 
those  who  have  been  made  prisoners  by  the  red  men  or  have  Hved  among 
them,  joining  in  their  expeditions  and  taking  part  in  their  semi-savage  but 
often  picturesque  and  adventurous  life. 

"Mr.  Hope's  volume  is  notably  good:  'wam  and  the  War-path  as  the  name  of 

it  gives  a  very  vivid  picture  of  life  a  collection  of  all  the  most  scalping 

among  the  Indians."— Spectofor.  stories,  so  to  speak,  of  the  North  Ame- 

" So  far,  nothing  can  be  better  than  rican  Indians  we  have  ever  heard."  — 

Mr.  Ascott  Hope's  choice  of  The  Wig-  Saturday  Eevieiv. 


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University  of 
Connecticut 

Libraries 


